The Free Interprofessional Association of Workers (VMOT)

On December 28, 1978, another organization aimed at protecting social and economic rights emerged: “The Free Interprofessional Association of Workers” (Vilne Mizhprofesiyne Obyednannya Trudyashchykh - VMOT). It was founded in Moscow but had groups in various parts of the country and was structured as an all-Union organization with autonomous local branches. There were also such groups in Ukraine. The leadership of VMOT immediately declared that it was not a political association but a purely public organization, whose goals were to provide legal, moral, and material assistance to its members. VMOT published information bulletins containing information about repressions against its members, as well as articles on social and economic topics. Despite the repressions, this VMOT existed for quite a long time—until the mid-1980s.