“Moskovsky Komsomolets”: “Housing Shortage instead of Rockets”
Vladimir Putin had to resolve a dormitory issue.
"We need to substantially improve the quality of our rocket and space products," Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on the modernisation of Russia's defence industry hosted by the Energomash Research and Production Centre in Khimki, Moscow Region. The industry's products are lagging behind their foreign counterparts and experimental research is going too slowly.
Before the meeting, Vladimir Putin visited Energomash's rocket engine final assembly shop. The production centre has already manufactured and tested an engine for the Angara launch rocket, among other things. "We managed to make the engine exclusively with Russian components. There isn't a single foreign component in it!" the centre's director Dmitry Pakhomov said, pointing at some charts with his pointer. To make the explanation more vivid, some workers were bustling in the background, finishing an engine. While Putin was inspecting the engine's component, the centre's representatives filled him up with figures. But the prime minister had his own maths.
"How are you using the 2 billion roubles that we have allocated within the anti-crisis support programme?" he asked.
"We haven't received it," Pakhomov replied sadly. That sounded ominous, since the money should have reached the centre as early as a year ago. Russian Space Agency Head Anatoly Perminov turned pale and started explaining something to the prime minister in a low voice. "There's been a delay," was the only thing journalists could hear. "These are merely bureaucratic red-tape," Vladimir Putin guessed and ordered: "The money should be here by the end of the week!"
"May I have a word?" a man in a white coat said. It was Boris Romashov, Energomash's production director. Vladimir Putin nodded and Romashov proceeded: "The production centre had two dormitories. But one of them was transferred to municipal ownership and the price jumped from 380 to 4,200 roubles for every person! It is unaffordable, a family has to pay up to 20,000 roubles. Meanwhile, many of our workers come from other regions!" It is worth mentioning that the production centre's average salary is 21,000 roubles.
Putin calmly explained to him that this was meant to be good for the centre: the burden of the dormitory was now on the municipal authorities' shoulders. However, he added that the choice was a tough one: either employees have to pay more, or the employer bears losses. "Nevertheless, there should not be such an increase. It is either an economically unjustified increase, or they are trying to make you leave," the prime minister concluded. The replies mingled in an uproar: the production centre's management vowed it would take the dormitory back on its books. "At our expense," Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov commented silently, whereas Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in a louder voice: "The centre would pay for the dormitory instead of purchasing new equipment."
"The equipment should be the top priority," Putin agreed.
"We need to save human resources," the production centre's management murmured. "The question is who goes first: the chicken or the egg?"
"Production should go first," Vladimir Putin stood his ground.
"We need people to produce goods..."
Putin tried to break the vicious circle and promised to discuss the issue with Moscow Region Governor Boris Gromov. However, the prime minister dealt with the dormitory a little later. When he was leaving the shop, an older worker addressed him. "You have increased the pension, and the authorities will increase the tariffs for public utilities and energy supply," the worker said, as if drawing a distinction between Putin and the authorities. "There is such a problem," the prime minister agreed. He added that the public utilities companies were responding to increases in pensions and welfare payments by increasing the tariffs. Vladimir Putin promised to clamp down on the ‘state sector' but said that he could not do anything about the regional authorities. Nevertheless, he promised to settle the issue with the help of antimonopoly watchdogs. "We will be adjusting the system," he added.
A few words were said about prices: the prime minister gave assurances that prices would not jump and proceeded to the meeting. During the break he discussed the dormitory with Governor Boris Gromov. "The price will be justified," the governor said. "The dormitory will be subsidised from the regional budget."
Putin promised to boost the 2 billion roubles that failed to reach the production centre with a further 250 million roubles - into Energomash's authorised share capital, for construction of a house for the employees. "After receiving the 2 billion roubles you may start construction," the prime minister advised.
So, the question of the chicken and the egg was resolved. They could now proceed to the defence industry. Putin said that national defence spending was increased to 1,175 billion roubles. So, it was no mere coincidence that the industry grew by 3.7% amid the overall downward trend in 2009. The rocket and space industry grew by 18%. Nevertheless, there was a fly in the ointment: the prime minister said that the quality of rocket and space products did not get any better.
Tatyana Zamakhina
