Union of Labor and Deputy

United Russia will not allow employers to save on layoffs

The initiative of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which proposed to cancel payments to dismissed employees in connection with the financial crisis, did not find understanding among the party in power. “The parliamentary majority responds ‘no’ to this initiative,” Andrei Isaev, a member of the bureau of the Supreme Council of United Russia and head of the State Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy, said on Wednesday.

Let us recall that at the end of last week, the leadership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, represented by the vice-president of this structure, Fyodor Prokopov, proposed an amendment to the Labor Code that would exempt employers from the obligation to pay wages to laid-off employees within two months . These social expenses, according to the business community, must be transferred to the shoulders of the state.

The idea of ​​adjusting labor legislation in the interests of entrepreneurs “suffering losses from the crisis” has already been severely criticized by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions. The leaders of the RSPP were prepared for a negative reaction from trade union leaders, but now they have received an equally sharp rebuke from legislators. “To the extent that they (employers - Ed. ) refuse to fulfill their obligations, we will impose a tax burden on them so that the state can fulfill these obligations,” Mr. Isaev, who, let us recall, threatened the “captains of big business” for a long time For a time he served as secretary of the FNPR, and is now the deputy chairman of this organization on a voluntary basis. In addition, Deputy Isaev is one of the authors of the current Labor Code, which industrialists and entrepreneurs decided to correct.

Failure by employers to fulfill their obligations to pay compensation to employees may result in administrative liability, including deprivation of the right to engage in business for up to three years, the head of the Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy recalled. In addition, Mr. Isaev noted, tightening the norms of the Labor Code is not beneficial for employers themselves: it cannot but cause a surge of protests, which will lead to large losses for owners, which may be more serious than spending on severance pay for dismissed employees.

However, according to Andrei Isaev, the state should also take care of social spending. In particular, an unemployment insurance fund should be created, the level of which will increase as the financial crisis worsens. True, as the United Russia deputy predicts politically, “in the public sector, what will most likely happen is not a reduction, but a redistribution of labor resources.”

Mr. Isaev also supported another initiative of trade unions, which, in his opinion, should be published by the leadership of the FNPR in the near future. We are talking about a proposal to reduce quotas for attracting labor migrants from abroad - again in connection with the crisis. Russian trade unions that participate in determining the quota for foreign labor cannot fail to take into account the current economic situation, the head of the Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy is sure. In light of the inevitable reduction in the number of jobs that migrants could apply for, the deputy called on employers to take care of sending home migrant workers, whose services become unclaimed during the crisis. “I want to appeal first of all to employers in the construction industry,” said Andrey Isaev. “If foreign labor is now being released, then it is the employer’s duty to ensure the return of this force to their homeland, and not leave it in an incomprehensible position either for them or for local residents.”

It should be recalled that quite recently, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Health and Social Development Maxim Topilin made the exact opposite statement, saying that next year the quota for attracting guest workers will be increased to 3.9 million people. The Federal Migration Service also does not fear that if the number of jobs is reduced, migrants may end up on the street. “We don’t expect any cataclysms,” a source in the FMS told Interfax on Wednesday. The migration department official emphasized that, despite the financial crisis, regions did not stop sending applications to attract foreign workers in 2009. “This means that employers plan to continue their activities,” concludes the FMS representative. “If the so-called “visa-free worker” falls under a reduction in the economic activity of the enterprise, then, having a permit to work in the Russian Federation, he will enter the Russian labor market and go to another employer without leaving Russia.”

Mikhail MOSHKIN