The conference purports to show the multiethnic people of Tatarstan's contribution to the Great Patriotic War victory.

(Kazan, February 26, Tatar-inform, Alia Sabirova). The Russian workshop conference Labour Front of Tatarstan, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory, has today been held in Kazan.

The organisers are the United Russia political party's Tatarstan branch, Tatarstan Federation of Trade Unions and Kazan branch of the Academy of Labour and Social Relations.

The State Duma deputy Klavdia Novikova, Trade Unions Federation chairperson Tatiana Vodopianova, State Council deputies, United Russia local political councils’ secretaries and war veterans took part in the conference.

The Labour Front of Tatarstan conference purports to show the contribution the multiethnic people of Tatarstan made to the Great Patriotic War victory and to examine the activities of the governmental bodies, trade unions and public associations aimed in the short run to reorient them in the interests of national defence.

Tatiana Vodopianova made welcoming remarks, telling about the activities of trade unions in the time of the Great Patriotic War. “The republic’s trade unions made their notable contribution to defeating the invaders,” she observed. Trade unions were obliged to render every possible assistance to heads of factories and institutions in redirecting the industry to military purposes: everything had to be done in the interests of the front. According to the priority action plan, trade unions participated in the building of people’s militia and training people in self-defence, managing personnel for industrial production and agriculture and helping the families of frontline soldiers.

Over the war years, enhanced the Federation of Trade Unions chairwoman, trade unions were strongly involved in military defence and medical work, patronising military hospitals. Rendering every support to the front was of course their focus. Over the war years, 380 million roubles was put in the construction of tank columns and squadrons. The total sum of money collected to help the front was 1.621 billion roubles, added Vodopianova.

In conclusion of her speech, the trade union leader said the Tatarstan’s Federation of Trade Unions was involved in the preparation for the victory’s 65th anniversary celebration. The local trade unions’s efforts will be focused on improving the war veterans and home front workers’s living conditions, as well as on publishing materials and essays about trade unionists.

“While the main slogan for the home front workers during the war was Everything for the Front, Everything for a Victory, let the main slogan for me and you today be Everything for the War Veterans, Everything to Preserve Their Life and Health,” she said.

The speech made by the home front worker Andery Trusov, who told about the difficulties of the time, was filled with emotion. He was 14 years old in 1941, when he went to work at a plant. “It was very hard for a village boy to get used to that environment. Every bread piece was precious. But despite all the difficulties, nobody said anything at all about them then, because we knew what we were working for – for the great victory,” the war veteran recollects.

The United Russia local branch’s executive committee head Viktor Budarin greeted the today’s conference on behalf of the political council and personally its leader Farid Mukhametshin. He expressed gratitude to the home front workers for their tremendous efforts and selfless labour.

“The United Russia party will try to keep our veterans safe from the inconveniences of daily life. This is a task for both the parliamentary majority party and for trade unions. There is little time left before the 65th anniversary of the Victory celebration, I hope we do everything we plan,” noted Budarin in an interview with journalists.

A display of products made by Tatarstan factories in the years of the war was arranged at the Tatarstan Trade Union Federation premises, where the conference was held.
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