The end of the children's dream

Until May 30, the progress rocket and space center (included in the structure of Roscosmos), where 839 people will be fired for 60 years, 839 people will be fired, and the company’s employees told RS. Pension employees and young specialists fell under the reduction. The leadership of the plant offers a choice: either dismissal of "own free will" with compensation, or registration on the labor exchange. There are no similar enterprises where the racing engineers could get in Samara.

In a conversation with a radio correspondent, the employees of the enterprise asked not to disclose their individuals. The current employees are afraid of the reduction, and the dismissed are afraid of habit.

Personnel department at the Progress factory

Manicure instead of missiles

As in Soviet times, the Progress plant is considered secret. An employee of the improvement workshop says that the management hides the reasons for the abbreviations:

- People are reduced, and we hear phrases such as "this is a normal process", "it happens." It is reduced to choose from - it is important not to make room, not to replace the "pensioner" with a young specialist, but simply to fulfill the dismissal plan. We had 82 workers in our staff, after spring reduction, six people left: three pensioners and three young people.

According to her, they mainly reduce the "auxiliary production" for "ordering", which comes from above. “The leader chooses who is less pleasing to him,” the employee of “progress” explained in a conversation with Radio Liberty. “At first they offer to quit by agreement of the parties. If you agree, you get three salary, if not, they will be forced to be forcibly. Most often people agree. They understand that they will still“ ask ”.

Go to the workshops, maybe someone will take it to him, but not a fact

According to the Labor Code, the leadership of the RCC should warn the employee in writing in writing of the upcoming dismissal in writing. Alexander , who was "reduced" in March 2019, confirmed that the formalities are observed, but because of the "agreement" it is difficult to find work after the plant:

- I was called "to the carpet" and said they were reduced. They say: write a statement on your own, if you want to leave with three salaries, or finalize until April, but there without salaries. In the same conversation, they told me: go around the workshops, maybe someone will take it to him, but not a fact. Indeed, they did not take me to other workshops. You won’t turn to the labor exchange either, because there is no document on reduction, because I chose dismissal of my own free will.

Rocket and space center "Progress" is still considered secret

Due to the fear of being left without work on the labor exchange, the plant employees who have not yet lost their posts are already being addressed. So did Olga . This spring, nine people were reduced to her department at once. Everyone signed the agreement "of their own free will":

We all grew up with a dream of space

- In the specialty that was in "progress", there is nowhere to get a job in Samara. It is generally impossible for pensioners to find a job. Recently, I turned to the labor exchange, I was offered to study for a manicure master. How can you compare the work of an engineer and a manicure master? Especially for a person with higher technical education. I have nothing against the masters of manicure, ”says Olga. - Just we all grew up with a dream of space. As before, to ask any child: "Who would you like to become when you grow up?" Answer: "Cosmonaut". Work on progress is a childhood dream, pride, lifestyle. And now it’s a shame.

Deadly pressure

In early March, another person was supposed to leave the plant. The young specialist signed a mutual dismissal agreement on February 14. He promised three monthly salaries. Four days later, his body was discovered at the Progress. According to one version, the employee committed suicide due to a large number of loans and reduction . The investigation has not yet been completed.

- The reduction was also a sad case: a person did not want to quit by agreement, flatly said "no." I thought that he would have time to find a job, but he had a stroke, ”says the current employee of“ progress ”Olga.

Employment Center in Samara

A few years ago, from the coloring at the factory they were already turning into a tragedy. On April 27, 2015, a factory worker was discovered in the staff of the personnel department. The investigation found out : she complained about pain in her heart, and shortly before her death she had a conflict with an employee of the enterprise who fell under reduction. Sergey, who at that time worked at the enterprise and quit only in May 2018, told Radio Liberty about those events:

- The man found out that he was reduced, came to the personnel department and grabbed this woman by the neck with anger. He did not strangle her, it was not an attack. Rather, despair. A woman broke off in a woman, she soon died.

Independent trade union movement in Samara is poorly developed

Employees of the enterprise in a conversation with a radio correspondent Freedom admitted that they feel unprotected. At the factory, the consultation center of the employment center is working, there is a trade union. According to the workers, they more than once asked the trade union to help, but there they answered: we cannot influence the reduction.

Mikhail Abdalkin

The chairman of the Samara branch of the Interregional Trade Union "Workers' Association" Mikhail Abdalkin explains that the trade union at the Manual Enterprise cannot act without coordination with the leadership:

- The situation is the same as in many plants of the region: in the leadership of these "manual" trade unions are people who receive wages from the employer. It is clear what point of view they will defend. An independent trade union movement in Samara is poorly developed, this makes an increase in the duration of the working day, the reduction of salaries, the deterioration of working conditions, and the reduction in factories. "Yellow" trade unions will always be for such initiatives of the authorities.

The crisis of the industry

The Radio Liberty correspondent managed to find people who left “progress” of their own free will and still were able to get a job. All of them agree that the space industry is now in a crisis, and the reduction of young specialists only exacerbate the situation. Such a version, in particular, is supported by Dmitry , who himself volunteered to reduce in this March:

- It is not very good that they reduce the younger generation. I do not know who made the decision, but, in my opinion, it is not quite justified in technical terms. In the economic, maybe this is profitable, but the quality of the products and volume will clearly suffer.

Most of the employees understand their lack of demand, since the plant does not develop, but rather blunts a person

Dmitry left the factory due to monotony. Sergey who quit in May 2018 has the same reason. At the same time, he believes that the reductions at the factory are really ripe:

- With the exception of young specialists, they mainly reduce those who are worthy of this. In our department, a woman was reduced, she was the head of the warehouse of the metal rolling. This warehouse was next to our change house. So, for more than three years, while she and I, and I, opened this warehouse only twice. The rest of the time, this woman planted flowers along the floors, on the sewing machine she did something for herself and always led a leisurely conversation with everyone in a row.

Where to go in Samara after "progress"?

A protracted crisis in the development of the plant is protracted in nature, says designer and designer Andrei . He quit the enterprise three years ago, and, according to him, even then young specialists did not see the prospects:

- For the last three months at the factory, I have helped repair the room: I painted the walls, plastered, changed the floors. The lack of development as a specialist and the understanding that nobody needs current skills - in my opinion, it is this problem that makes the factory workers be afraid of reduction. Most of the employees understand their lack of demand, since the plant does not develop, but rather dulls a person. After "progress" I found work in the specialty in Megafon with a salary almost one and a half times more.

After the publication of the material, the factory management responded to a request from Radio Liberty. Dmitry Baranov, General Director of the Progress RCC, said that the enterprise has an "organizational and administrative document, according to which contracts can be terminated by agreement of the parties."