Abstract
Clearly the Russian Federation’s transition to a market economy could not settle for labour law inherited from the communist era. After recalling the broad general principles of that labour law, the author describes developments following the break up of the Soviet Union, which resulted in the adoption of several legal texts, notably a new Constitution, and the emergence of new employer and worker organizations, and a new labour code. He examines the code’s articles covering the employment contract, collective bargaining and the right to strike.