During the Soviet era, from 1917 to 1991, trade unions in Russia were state run organisations which had nothing to do with helping workers fight for their rights against employers. Then following the collapse of the Soviet Union there was no improvement as the workers did not have a functioning government or legal system to turn to if they found themselves in dispute with their employers.
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Poor conditions and unpaid wages were common place, as many industrialists sought to exploit their workers, knowing full well that there was no-one to turn to. It is only now, 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, that unions have begun to strengthen and take on exploitative employers.
Euronews looks at the revival of Russian trade unions, and takes a look at what they have done to help workers and what they plan to do in the future. This week, on Reporter.