Working, but poor

According to official statistics, in Russia at least 10 million people have been working hard for their lives, but they can’t escape from poverty

There are no clear criteria in Russia who is considered poor. There is no such thing in Russian legislation. There are poor all over the world, but we don’t have it. We have a vague definition of “poor” for them. That is, these are those whose income does not reach the subsistence minimum. For each region, its own figure. For example, in order for a person of working age to stretch a month in the Omsk region, he will need at least 9683 rubles, officials say. In Moscow, this minimum is twice as high - 18,742 rubles. If the income does not reach the officially approved amount of the subsistence minimum - that's all, you hit the poverty line. True, this does not mean at all that you cannot pay for the work less than this very minimum. You can - if your salary at least for a penny exceeds the minimum wage. Now it is 7800 rubles.

The first story. Olga

It is believed that the poor should be sought away from Moscow. And the further, the more frank poverty will meet. This is wrong. In the capital, too, a lot of people live behind the poverty line. We emphasize: this is not about migrant workers from the former fraternal republics, but about Russian citizens.

Here is Olga. She works in the laboratory of one of the departments of Moscow Medical University. For fifteen years from the senior laboratory assistant, he grown to the manager. Olga’s salary is 12 thousand, and this is all her income.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

True, prizes happen, but with the frequency "a little more than once in life." Private laboratories receive 11 thousand. And such salaries for Moscow are not at all uncommon.

By profession, Olga was a programmer, she graduated from Baumanka, but does not work for a long time, he believes that he will not be able to catch up, lost his qualifications. Olga worked as a programmer before the birth of children, there was enough money for everything, especially since it was an opportunity to earn extra money. After the decree, she could not reach her previous job - the department was disbanded. I managed to get a job in one of the laboratories of the medical university. In this work, Olga suits everything - the respect of colleagues, good relations in the team. Everything except the salary. The leadership from time to time allows to work remotely. Olga is beneficial - you do not have to spend money on travel (a woman lives in the suburbs), this is about 300 rubles a day - by train, and then on the subway there and back.

When the children were small, Olga did not try to look for a better paid job. And as they grew up - I tried it, but everywhere I met a refusal. I was surprised to realize that no one needed forty -year -olds. “First, because of children constantly sick, you cannot find a job, then because of age. Although what age is there-forty-five! ”

Olga was surprised to realize that nobody needs 40-year

Olga fell into the category of unpromising. The only place where she managed to get a job was the school. There Olga worked for several years and quit: she was not offered a full rate, and salaries of 6 thousand rubles were enough except for travel.

“I do not want to get away from these people, I work comfortably with professors, these are very intelligent, worthy people. And it’s a pity to throw work, in fifteen years I feel that she has become a highly qualified specialist, ”says Olga.

If not for the husband, a programmer, with two children would have had to be tight. The husband’s salary saves. The total income of a family of four, albeit not much, but exceeds the total cost of living. It turns out 80 thousand (PM “per capita” in Moscow - 18,742 rubles). It is happiness that both sons entered universities for budget departments. Olga and her husband and her husband were certainly unable to pay for their studies.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

Olga’s family has loans to improve housing conditions - they started with a room in a communal apartment, and in several stages they moved to a two -room apartment. True, three years had to rent housing, since the construction of their apartment building was frozen. And I will eat - this is additional expenses. Then Olga was forced to take a loan for repairs to get into the apartment as soon as possible. It was five years ago, out of 500 thousand it was left to pay 300 thousand (a monthly payment - 20 thousand).

In his free time, Olga is trying to earn money on knitting, he says that she does it very well. But adding more than 4-5 thousand to the salary does not go out, and this happens extremely irregularly. For that kind of money, the craftswoman, according to her, worked for the whole month without getting up. Everyone really likes her knitted things, but people agree to buy them no more than Chinese consumer goods. That is, at the price of threads. And Olga is not ready to throw work at the university.

This is unique

Poverty of working citizens harms the economy, inhibits its growth - this conclusion is made by the analytical center under the Russian government in a report published in October 2017. Quote from the report: “Poverty of workers gives rise to a number of negative economic and social consequences affecting productivity and quality of labor, the problem of personnel deficiency in the production sector, especially workers, the state of health of the population, and the possibilities of obtaining education.” Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets spoke about the disinteresting of working poor in increasing labor productivity. Judging by the numerous performances of recent times, the authorities are aware of how dangerous the poverty of its citizens is for the country. The poverty of the working population, Ms. Golodets, called a unique phenomenon in the social sphere. With a minus sign, of course.

History is second. Hope

Nadezhda Ivanovna works as a history teacher in one of the Barnaul technical schools. Experience - 27 years, salary - 12 thousand. Several times Nadezhda Ivanovna was recognized as a “teacher of the year”. The regional Ministry of Education and Science awarded it with an honorary diploma "For high professionalism and many years of conscientious work."

Hope works with a stream in which there are a lot of orphans and adolescents with disabilities - visually impaired, hard of hearing, deaf -mute. It happens that the load reaches eight lessons per day.

With an eleven -year -old son, Nadezhda lives in the room of the technical school of the hostel. Fifteen years, the teacher stands in line for improving housing conditions. “Last year I was the 94th, now the 91st. With this pace, I still have to wait for the apartment for thirty years, ”she says. Hope was thinking for a long time whether to arrange a mortgage, but did not dare, although the bank approved her loan of 1 million. But from what income to return when the monthly payment would be 21 thousand?

12 thousand is higher than the subsistence level, which in the Altai Territory is 10 002 rubles for the able -bodied population. In addition to the son of hope, the state pays a pension on the loss of the breadwinner (this is a plus of 8.3 thousand). By the way, on this basis, officials refuse the mother to receive social benefits for a child. In general, the family budget - 20 thousand, live - I do not want to!

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

In 2013, Nadezhda Ivanovna received a strong concussion with a partial hearing and vision loss - the student hit, being, as she says, in a state of drug intoxication. For more than two months, the teacher lay in the hospital. Since then, on the tablets, which monthly cost it 3 thousand rubles.

“Working with classes in which there are many orphans is not at all easy. They require increased attention, constant. It is demand. And they get it. And then conflicts arise with parents of other children, but the class is not entirely from orphans. Like, you do not pay enough attention to my child. ”

Throughout her life, Nadezhda Ivanovna could not earn even six hundred parts. But thanks to the former mother -in -law, allows you to grow vegetables on their site.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

“From each iron I hear calls to be patriots. What are you guys talking about? All my life they humiliate me, paying the crumbs for complex and responsible work. They beat me on the head and remain unpunished. They say to me: “Go away, if something does not suit me, no one holds you.” We say we will find the opportunity to evict you from the hostel. Although they are unlikely to succeed, while the child is a minor. I am a teacher of the highest category, with a diploma of the Ministry of Education. And what am I to me from all this? Our family with a son is 700 rubles by a total cost of living. That is, we officially do not treat the poor. Thank you very much, it makes life so easier! "

The trend, however

Since 2005, the poverty level in Russia has decreased more than three times, the authors of the study noted. At the same time, they emphasize: “It is impossible to recognize a normal situation in which more than 10 million workers have income that does not allow to ensure normal, worthy living conditions not only for themselves, but also for their family.”

“It is impossible to recognize the normal situation in which more than 10 million workers have income that does not allow to ensure decent living conditions”

Scientists of the analytical center under the Government of the Russian Federation noted such a trend in recent years: in low -income families there are more workers, but this "did not ensure their exit from the state of poverty."

History is the third. Igor

The candidate of historical sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Kurlendsky cannot be attributed to the category of “working poor” - his salary by 600 rubles exceeds the cost of living for the working resident of the capital. He receives 19,300 after the tax deduction. Of course, part -time jobs happen, but irregularly, and they do not change the situation for the better.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

“The institute is generally meager salaries. Doctors of sciences, leading employees do not receive much more, thousands for three or four, ”says the scientist. Quarterly allowances for salary from Fano are also supposed to be in terms of performance of work, for example, for publications in scientific publications. But this year, according to Courland, there was no allowance from Fano. They do not give money, the previous bonuses are also canceled. “Yes, and it is impossible to demand frequent publications from the scientist. He can work in the archive for a year, collecting material for future scientific articles. Or write a book for several years. For four years I worked on a book about the relationship between power and religion in the Stalin era. The fee for the book will not be paid for me, perhaps I will receive some kind of premium for a salary from Fano for it. But whatever it may be, if it is divided into four years, you get a penny. The Institute is not related to issues of implementing books. The author does not earn anything except copyright copies.

According to Igor Kurlandsky, the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, one of the main scientific institutions for the study of Russian history in the country, which includes many beautiful scientists, is generally a beggar in general: “He has no money literally for anything. The state almost does not finance it. And, of course, employees can go on business trips for many years only at the expense of the inviting side. ”

“If my memory serves me, salaries were raised to researchers last time fifteen years ago. In general, life is constantly getting more expensive, and the salary does not change. During this time, there were several inflation jumps, but salaries were not indexed. You have to save on a lot, ”the scientist admits.

Where the poor are more

If you look at the industries, then the poor working most in the communal sphere, in education, in the field of culture and sports, in rural and forestry and a number of other sectors of the economy. The smallest people working at mineral extraction enterprises in the financial sector, in state administration and ensuring military security, as well as in social insurance.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

In general, statistics say that since 2005 the number of workers of the poor has declined from 8 to 2 million. And the share of the poor is from 24.4 to 7.3%. And this happened mainly due to private business, not the budget sphere.

History is fourth. Svetlana

Svetlana forty -four years, works as a senior librarian. She came to the library immediately after the pedagogical institute. 20 years of experience, vast experience and salary 8300 rubles.

“When I studied, I was completely idyllically represented a future work: silence, lamps burn on the tables, people read, I carry enlightenment to the masses ... It is ridiculous to remember. And then, of course, I did not think about money. And now, no matter how embarrassed to admit, this is the thought with which I wake up and with which I fall asleep. My husband teaches at a university, gets a little more than 14 thousand. We have two sons of schoolchildren. My dad is very ill, my husband and father and mother are also very sick. And so we get our own 23 thousand a month and divide into seven ... into seven - because both my father and my husband’s parents have scanty, social pensions (despite the fact that we worked in factories, three years of experience). This is my eternal puzzle: what to buy - medicines for the elderly? Shoes for children? Put part of the debt on rent? Buy a husband of a little, decent trousers? I don't think about myself for a long time. Honestly, I wear blouses-skirts for ten years, when I bought cosmetics-and I don’t remember.

Previously, we somehow more easily perceived our poverty-younger or something, we were ... well, there is nothing for tea-and okay, we dress modestly-and this is such a style, they tried to dress children and better.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

The worst thing now is not even that we get a penny ... The husband used to believe that we would be able to get out, that we will heal more. And now he went out somehow, he goes to work through force, the children are forever dissatisfied, parents do not come out of diseases. Only I pretend that, they say, nothing, nothing, everyone lives like that. I began to catch myself on the fact that in transport I evaluate who was dressed, in the store in the baskets I look at people: we have to, fruits, meat, guilt ... We always have buckwheat with chicken intersperses, these lean soups. I hate the cottage, but she really feeds us.

Illustration: Natalya Gulay for TD

And I have no prospects. I won’t work out to the Zavbilkhlovka, because our head is my same age. I don’t have enough for part -time jobs: there are a lot of writings, the work itself is not easy, plus we are divided the bets of cleaners and janitors, and then we fail to break the ice. I crawl home a little alive. Frankly, I don’t see how my life can change. Yes, and got used to it. What I'm worried about is about the future sons. I think with horror that they are about to do somewhere, what if paid? We will definitely not pull. And it turns out that we have condemned our boys into the same poverty.

I am ashamed to admit

Almost everyone who managed to talk with when preparing this material was asked not to call real names and places of work. Everyone had the same arguments: firstly, it’s a shame to admit that you work for three kopecks, and secondly, the authorities will be displeased and will punish for the “disclosure of information defaming the organization”. Many really signed such a document at work - called "Ethics Code".

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