Vladimir Putin calls on trade unions to be more active
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met yesterday with Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Mikhail Shmakov and the heads of primary trade unions. The number of registered unemployed in mid-March was about two million people (in fact, the unofficial figure is six million, as revealed by President Dmitry Medvedev). Another million have a shorter working day or are on forced leaves, and about 500,000 people are slated for layoffs. Despite that, both Mr Putin and Mr Shmakov wanted to say something encouraging to each other. And they did.
Mr Putin talked about the support measures taken by the Government: launching regional employment programmes that are almost entirely funded by the federal budget (over 43 billion roubles were allocated), paying special attention to single-industry cities and strategic companies, as well as increasing the unemployment benefit to 4,900 roubles.
"Now those who have quit their jobs of their own free will are also entitled to unemployment benefits. This new provision should also reinforce legal guarantees," Mr Putin said and called for "responding to the violations of the Labour Code". Also, according to Mr Putin, during the crisis, "trade unions have the right to question professional skills and competence of company managers."
But it seems unlikely that these words were related directly to the Prime Minister's guests. As we know from the mass media, when trade unions start using this right, their leaders are often taken to hospital with cracked skulls. But the people who surrounded Mr Shmakov yesterday seemed to be in perfect health.
"Regardless of the company's motives for laying people off, the future of every employee should never be forgotten. It is inadmissible to just kick a person out, even when this is justified by the need to restructure production or make it more effective," said Mr Putin, who, incidentally, has recently dismissed 158 members of the Government Staff. "We have to think about the future of the people who are dismissed," he said.
"Yes, the crisis has affected Russia as well," Mr Shmakov sighed and added that on the whole, the situation is stable at the companies whose trade unions are members of his federation.
But it would have been unacceptable if Mr Shmakov, who is the main leader of the country's trade unions, had not reminded to the Prime Minister about the inadmissibility of mass dismissals and the need to raise salaries, and had not asked the Prime Minister to build the increase of the minimum wage into the 2010 budget.
"The minimum wage should be about 1,000 roubles higher than it is now," Mr Shmakov demanded.
Mr Putin agreed, but noted that the crisis made it difficult to increase the minimum wage and simultaneously to safeguard jobs.
"But, Mr Putin, this is precisely the aim of the programmes which are financed to the tune of 43 billion roubles!" Mr Shmakov said in exasperation, but not too convincingly.
The Prime Minister, who apparently had not expected such pressure, had to tell the trade unions leader again about how much the Government did for people and that trade unions should cooperate. And Mr Shmakov, finally, became quiet.
Alexander Latyshev
