"1 day - 1 exhibit": the banner of the Union of Metalworkers "Unity"

On the eve of the October Revolution, the employees of the National Museum of Tatarstan took out  the banner of the metal workers'union from the funds. Under these banner a century ago in Kazan  a 40-thousand meeting    took place. "Kazan reporter" continues the project "1 day - 1 exhibit".

After February 1917 old and new trade unions began to be revived, among which one of the largest was the union of metalworkers "Yedineniye (Unity)". In Kazan, the labor movement was organized. October 5-8 was a grand, well-prepared strike of metalworkers. The reason for it was the refusal of entrepreneurs to accept a number of items of the collective agreement proposed by  the Unity.

The strike was attended by workers of other professions. In full force, for example, employees of the city electric power station joined.

On October, 5th (on October, 18th on new style) 1917 the meeting of the Kazan workers in support of the striking metalworkers in Panajevsky garden (nowadays stadium "Dynamo") took place.

According to the newspapers of the time, about 40 thousand people took part in the strike. All key positions and areas of complex urban economy were in the hands of the strikers. These days the Kazan workers showed solidarity, determination to fight to the end. On October 8 (21), the strike ended in a complete victory of the workers.

The success of this event  was greatly facilitated by the fact that at the head of the strike was a rallied and qualified detachment of Kazan workers - a detachment of metalworkers. This action of the working people was most significant in the Volga region in the pre-revolutionary days.

Now the flag of the union of metalworkers is carefully kept in the funds of the National Museum, however, on the occasion of the anniversary of the revolution, the museum staff   took out  the banner from the storerooms. Now it can be seen in the exposition devoted to the events of the early twentieth century. The banner  is made of dense wool, it is two-sided - on one side you can see the inscription "Union of Metalworkers" Unity "", the emblem of the RSFSR and the slogan "Long live the power of the Soviets", on the other: "Long live the Russian Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Long Live the International. "

http://kazanreporter.ru/post/2610_1_den-_-_1_eksponat-_znamya_soyuza_metallistov_-edinenie