#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Photo report of 1991 from the procedure of signing the Collective Agreement between the Norilsk Nickel concern and its employees takes it to the events of 30 years ago, when both the city and the combine had big problems. The last year of the Soviet period of Norilsk Nickel and the beginning of its Russia history period was simultaneously the beginning of its protracted production crisis. According to Vladislav Tolstov’s Norilsk Chronicle, the plant in 1991 worked at the level of 1984…
The year began with employees’ strikes. The first took place in March at the Taimyrsky mine. A day later, the workers of Komsomolsky mine joined it. The decision to join the strike process was taken by metallurgists … There was a real threat of stopping the main processing of the plant, but the management managed to reach an agreement with the trade union leaders of the enterprises to end the global action.
In 1991, the Federation of Trade Unions of the NMMC was created, which became the most influential association of trade unionists. Alexander Bugaev, head of the trade union committee, was elected its first chairman. For several years, the federation has consistently defended the interests of the workers. Valery Melnikov, one of the trade union leaders who entered the first independent association of miners and metallurgists, later became the mayor of Norilsk.
Read other materials of the photo project in the History spot section.
Text: Varvara Sosnovskaya, Photo: Nornickel Polar Division Archive