Almost 1,400 workers at Ford's only car assembly plant in Russia went on strike Wednesday for at least one day to demand more money for working in hazardous conditions and other benefits. Alexei Etmanov, head of the labor union at the plant in Vsevolozhsk, near St. Petersburg, said the plant's production line had stopped at midnight, and would continue beyond the 24-hour period if the company did not meet their demands. Among workers' demands was that the company stop using temporary workers, guarantee jobs for workers injured at the plant and extra pay and other benefits for hazardous assignments, Etmanov said. About 8 percent of the plant's work force are temporary workers; monthly wages at the plant average between 13,000 to 19,000 rubles ($495-$720).
See "Workers at Ford plant in Russia hold 1-day strike", Irina Titova, Chicago Tribune, February 13, 2007