We are publishing an article by Oleg Shein MP, Vice-President of the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR), in which he presents an analysis of the situation in Russia’s social-labor sphere in pandemic conditions and coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

At Volkswagen’s plant in Kaluga, Russia, workers who voluntarily resign are offered five to six months wages. The Interregional Trade Union “Workers Association” (ITUWA), affiliated with the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR) and the IndustriALL Global Union, is advising members to wait until an official process to reduce jobs is in place, as it would be more beneficial for the workers.

In Russia on the background of the pandemic coronavirus from the beginning of April 2020 soared, the number of unemployed. The country was actually unemployed every tenth able-bodied citizen, writes “Interfax” with reference to the President of the Confederation of labour of Russia Boris Kravchenko.

The Government wants to emergency right until the end of 2020 to determine the “specifics” of regulation of relations between workers and employers, without changes to the Labour code. Why do it – is unknown.

Shutdowns and confinement now cover most of the world’s population to prevent the rapid spread of the virus within communities and to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. The economic and social impact as lives and livelihoods are put on hold has disrupted the world of work with low-paid insecure workers carrying the burden in too many countries. The focus of the pandemic response is rightly on containment and mitigation and supporting the health and care workers who are on the front line, and those in many other vital sectors. The spread of the virus is being fought in every workplace, everywhere in the world.

Labor migrants from Central Asian countries, mainly from Kyrgyzstan, have become one of the most vulnerable categories of workers in the Russian Federation, who find themselves unemployed for an indefinite period, said Boris Kravchenko, president of the Confederation of Labor of Russia (KTR), a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council.

An expert discussion on gender-based violence at work took place in Moscow on March 4. The event was organized by the Center for Social and Labor Rights and The Commission for Gender Equality of the Confederation of Labor of Russia. The meeting was opened by KTR President Boris Kravchenko, who expressed KTR's commitment to promoting the gender agenda and fighting against gender-based violence in the world of work. 

On February 8, 2020, the Central Council of the University Solidarity trade union was adopted as the basis for the “Recommendation for Bargaining Agreement”. The section on Labor Protection contains a provision stating that the administration and trade unions undertake to take measures aimed at preventing and suppressing violence and harassment, including gender-related violence.

At the interregional meeting of the KTR Commission on Gender Equality (Moscow, February 15, 2020), a new report of the KTR Expert Council on the gender pay gap in the Russian Federation was presented. Currently, the average salary of men is almost 40% higher than the salaries of women, which means that only on April 12 (with a difference of 103 days) will Russian women receive the amount of salary that men received at the end of the previous year.