As the Soviet Union collapsed, many scholars and policymakers predicted that the pillars of Communism would collapse along with the state. The official trade unions not only continued to exist but gained power in the late Soviet and post-Soviet period. Sue Davis explains the reasons why the official trade unions survive and thrive and new, independent unions remain small and weak despite massive Western assistance. She examines many factors ranging from state policy to labour power in the late Soviet period as well as the first five years of the post-Soviet era in Russia and Ukraine.

Many commentators expected the Russian trade unions to collapse along with the system of which they were an integral part, but the trade unions survived the storms of the Yeltsin era by adopting a strategy of 'social partnership'. This book, based on case-study and survey research in eight Russian regions, provides a detailed account of the development of trade unionism in Russia since the collapse of the soviet system. Against the background of the role of the trade unions in the soviet system, the book reviews the political role, structure and functions of the trade unions, development of social partnership at federal and regional levels, and provides a detailed account of the activity of the trade unions at the level of enterprise. The book concludes with a critical assessment of the Russian unions' strategy of 'social partnership' and locates it in comparative perspective.

Contains biographies of trade union leaders of both the newly formed and old official trade unions. Also contains biographies of some journalists and politicians.

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a period of steep economic decline, followed by economic reform, soaring inflation, corruption and crime. Despite the fact that unions were part of the State and that membership was obligatory, incorporating 98 percent of the labor force, millions of workers were not paid their wages.Based upon an abundance of first-hand material, Labour After Soviet Socialism examines the complex interplay of history, ideology, leadership, state policy and economics, to explain the difficulty workers have encountered in defending their interests.David Mandel, labor scholar and activist, teaches political science at the University of Quebec, Montreal. He is co-founder of the School for Worker Democracy, which conducts rank-and-file labor education in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

This title was first published in 2000. The years 1975 to 2000 are characterized by fundamental changes in the global political landscape. Perhaps the biggest change was the collapse of certain communist regimes. This text analyzes what that meant for the USSR and Europe. It looks at the cause of change, the social forces behind them and future prospects.