Denys, a unionised railway worker on the front line

‘I have forwarded your questions to our comrade who has been called up, but I have not yet received a reply. He is either on a mission, has been captured, or is dead. I will wait.’ Vyacheslav Federenko, president of the KVPU Kryvyï Rih railway workers' union, is worried. He has not received a reply from his friend Denys, a unionised railway worker who is on the front line. But two weeks later, the answers arrive and we publish them below. Kryvyï Rih is about 60 kilometres from the front line. Many railway workers have enlisted to fight the Russian aggression. ‘Supporting workers on the front line in every way possible is a priority for the union,’ explains Vyacheslav. "Ten per cent of railway workers are on the front line, and the union is also defending the socio-economic rights of mobilised workers in court. On the other hand, employers are threatening to dismiss those who fight for their rights. Today, the only protection available to workers is legal protection, because in times of war, strikes and demonstrations are prohibited," he adds. Around 600 railway workers have died on the front line or as a result of bombing.

Patrick Le Tréhondat

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Denys Shlapak. I am a member of the KVPU railway workers' union in Kryvyi Rih. Before the large-scale invasion by hostile forces, I worked at Українська залізниця [Ukrainian Railways] as a train conductor, but I am keeping my job for the duration of my mobilisation in the Ukrainian armed forces. From the very first days of the large-scale invasion, I made the only appropriate decision for a conscious and patriotic citizen without hesitation: to join the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces and defend my country.

As a soldier, are you still in contact with your union? How does it help you? What is your relationship with it?

I am fortunate to have a friendly relationship with the Kryvyi Rih union, and our union is very effective. I have asked for their help on several occasions to meet some of my military unit's urgent material needs, and they have always helped me and provided the necessary assistance, for which my brothers in arms and I are very grateful. In the circumstances in which we find ourselves, it is essential to feel support from the home front. I would also like to point out that the union president defended my social rights as a railway worker mobilised in the army: he obtained a court order requiring the railways to pay my salary during my mobilisation, as guaranteed by the sectoral collective agreement.

As a union member, have you encountered any particular problems in the army?

No, as I said before, my union membership has actually helped me at times. There are no problems. There is no special treatment related to union membership.

Are there many union members in the Ukrainian army?

Most of the current military personnel are not career soldiers. They are people who, before the war, worked in various fields in civilian companies, and most of them are unionised. I don't have any statistics, of course, but I think there are many of them.

How did your training as a railway worker help you in your military training ?

I had already received basic training in how to respond to emergency situations, of course, because working as a railway worker requires you to know how to provide medical care, for example, or to react quickly to unpredictable circumstances. This helped me to some extent in mastering my new military role.

How does the presence of union members in the army change the way it operates?

The main task of a trade union is to support and protect people who are united by common professional interests. It is obvious that the presence, in any field of activity, and even more so in the army, of people who aim to unite and achieve a common goal improves the quality of the functioning of the place where they are or where they operate. It is clear that this is an extremely positive phenomenon.

How do you see your future and that of Ukraine?

I sincerely believe that my country will experience a new lease of life after the end of the war and the liberation of our territory from the invaders. My brothers in arms and I are doing everything we can to make that day happen. That is why, even after the war ends, I see myself continuing my military career. So that everything that is valuable to me, my family and my country, will always be protected.