Russian workers. The anatomy of patience

Russian Workers. The anatomy of patience:

Following the strike waves of 1989 and 1991, many commentators expected Russian workers to play a decisive role in determining the course of transition. In the event, workers have stoically endured a catastrophic decline in living standards, a loss of security and wage delays of six months or more. Sarah Ashwin's book directly confronts this paradox, dissecting the apparent 'patience' of Russian workers through an original analysis of the forms of social integration fostered within the Soviet and post-Soviet enterprise, and an examination of the barriers which have prevented trade unions from effectively representing workers' interests during the transition.

The analysis in this book is based on an ethnographic case study of a South Kuzbass coal mine. On the basis of interviews with workers and trade union activists, Ashwin relates large-scale political, social and economic changes to the dilemmas of everyday life, showing how workers' responses to reform are influencing the post-communist recomposition of the Russian state and economy.

This is an accessible, engaging and authoritative book and will appeal to those interested in labour studies, Russian politics and society and comparative industrial relations as well as anyone trying to understand the current turmoil in Russia.

Sarah Ashwin is a lecturer in industrial relations at the London School of Economics.