Research
Komsomolsk, Ukraine, May 2006
My interests surrounding gender, class, and informal economies in Ukraine lead me to study a variety of work arrangements like household gardening, petty trade, and the garment industry. In May 2006, I focused my research on the small and mid-size business owners in the garment industry. Below is an exterior view of the former Soviet factory called Tiko. Tiko was opened in 1986 to address high unemployment among women in Komsomolsk. Like the other big employer, Poltava GOK iron ore mine, the factory was not only responsible for women's employment, but also for housing, health, daycare, summer camps, and so on. Now, Tiko is no longer a large (Fordist-style) factory site, but has been split up into several tens of small to mid-size garment firms. It is likely these employers are all registered, as activities are monitored by a central coordinator.
Below is a view of the road in front of Tiko, which heads toward the main highway connecting to large cities like Kremenchuk, Poltava, Kharkov, and Kiev. The load you see being hauled by a small car and trailer is all garments just assembled in the Tiko facilities. It could be headed eventually to Russia, which had been the most popular destination for these products before Yushchenko was elected, but by 2006 Yushchenko's pro-West politics had led to Russia tightening its borders. this meant that middlemen who had at one time been able to cross the border without tariffs, or for a small "fee" to border guards, were now facing expenses no longer making distribution to Russia affordable for most garment firms. Facing dramatic increases in inflation, in 2006 most employers were seeking markets for their goods within Ukraine. Some employers I spoke with shared bleak forecasts for their firms' survival.
The work site above is run by a small business owner, employing around 7 workers. As you can see, conditions are cramped. To the right you can see the edge of a large table, which is the work station with 2 workers who cut patterns. All operations take place in this little room. Most employers run businesses with 1-10 workers (the official "small business" size) and many employers began with little or no experience in garment work. This industry has provided a crucial means for people to make ends meet during post-Soviet social change in places like Komsomolsk.
Contrast the small business work site with this large business work site. This is located within the same Tiko factory building, and around 75 workers are employed in this firm. These garments (specifically men's and women's undergarments) are headed to Italy. Of the markets outside the former Soviet Union, Italy is the most common in Komsomolsk.
In yet further contrast to the work sites within the former Tiko factory is the large firm on the other side of town (picture above). This factory also produces undergarments to be sold only in Italy. The owner of this firm works directly with a business owner from Italy. This firm, compared to the others, is a result of foreign direct investment: the facilities, the manufacturing process, and the materials are all provided by the Italian owner. Cutting and assembly are the only tasks performed at this firm. The working conditions are dramatically improved at this site, of which the business owner in Komsomolsk was most proud.
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