Workers protest a crisis-shortened four day work week and pay cuts at a Ford plant in Russia (Photo by: The St. Petersburg Times)
In case you hadn't noticed, Russia's culture, whether the subject is politics or business, doesn't always mesh as nicely with the traditions of the West as one might suppose. The recent arrests of gay rights demonstrators in Moscow--they say they were denied any kind of demonstration permit--illustrate a continuing difference in traditions of free speech on public issues. Regardless of their stance on any given issue, such as gay rights, almost all Americans and Europeans support the right to peaceful protest. In the economic realm, the same is true. However, in the case of a demonstration in Russia against Ford Motor Co., there was no official objection to the protest demonstration, but one does wonder what really was being protested.
In the U.S., it is commonplace for companies under financial pressure to cut back employment or, in certain circumstances, to reduce the work week in order to conform to production reductions. If the company lacks orders for cars, it can't afford to build them, can it? But the work week cut still must seem novel to Russians who are more used to a general social contract that accepts low wages in return for security. In the old days of the U.S.S.R., companies just kept making products, often regardless of market acceptance. It was one reason socialism failed.
There is no lack of economic demonstrations, or strikes, for that matter, in the West; and that is not my interest in the Ford Russia situation. Rather, I am just contrasting the apparent expectations that exist in worker populations. Americans usually don't try to force a company to keep producing when it lacks sales.
Of course, we do have the very recent tradition of simply bailing out failing auto companies. Maybe Russia should adopt that cultural innovation. The trouble is, Ford isn't willing to take a bailout in the U.S. and probably wouldn't want the government's "help" in Russia, either. And, to its credit, the Kremlin doesn't seem to be inclined to fund such a bailout, either.
Comments
Russia is somewhere in the 1980's as regards LGBT rights - formally legal but still pressured to keep out of public sight.
It should be noted that (near) full social acceptance of gays has been reached only in the last decade or so in the US, and that nations like Poland or the Baltics are still no different from Russia in their attitudes.
Posted by: Sublime Oblivion | May 21, 2009 2:31 PM
You got problems with logic, sir.
1) "Regardless of their stance on any given issue, such as gay rights, almost all Americans and Europeans support the right to peaceful protest."
First. You try to "export" your perverted social inclinations to healthier society in the East. What's more you did not have to ask for permission to do that, so you should sleep well. Perhaps you'd like to march with them, poor you...
Second. The protest was ILLEGAL, I wonder what US police does with illegal demonstrators in your police-state country?
2) "Maybe Russia should adopt that cultural innovation."
And be back in 60s, in USSR? No thanks. Perhaps you'd like to see Russia together with US which is gearing toward the SOCIALIST economy now? No thanks, for the second time.
BTW Ford is in better condition than GM, but BOTH accepted egregious social care benefits for their jobers what led them to bancruptcy edge (but it's only a small part of the story).
Regards
Posted by: P2O2 | May 21, 2009 3:17 PM
Actually a small percentage of the bailout money was used for the auto industry the majority was used to bailout the banks.
Actually I don't see why you should support the auto industry better to support the transit system like high speed trains, agriculture like food production which Russia has to import as well as other countries like China and the risk of severe food shortage like what happened in 2008, developing it’s infrastructure like laying down high speed fibre optics for broadband internet and building new and refurbishing old nuclear power plants.
Posted by: james | May 21, 2009 3:20 PM