A meeting of Surgutneftegaz workers in Surgut, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, July 19, 2006
Photo: Àðõèâíîå ôîòî
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Surgutneftegaz Called On to Be Socially Responsible
// Employees hold meetings to demand higher wages
Surgutneftegaz, considered one of the most prosperous of Russian oil companies, has unexpectedly run up against social problems. Since the beginning of last month, seven locals of independent labor unions have been in the oil company's divisions. Surgutneftegaz workers have held protest actions in Surgut and other cities, the last of which occurred on Sunday, when 5000 people gathered on the central square of Surgut. The workers are demanding higher wages and, Kommersant has learned, Surgutneftegaz general director Vladimir Bogdanov has begun touring the divisions, meeting with workers' collectives and promising higher wages.
Inclination to protest began mounting among Surgutneftegaz workers after a change in the leadership in the local divisions of the company's “official” union, Neftegazstroiprofsoyuz. “Our union was first, then the protest mood began to grow in the workers' collectives and new unions appeared. Now there are seven of them,” Alexander Zakharkin, chairman of the professional committee of the independent Surgutneftegaz Technical Transport Management 2 union, told Kommersant. Zakharkin was one of the organizers of the action in Surgut on Sunday – the largest action so far.
Protest actions started in the beginning of June when more than 1500 people took part in a picket in Surgut. That was followed by a street meeting of 3000 people in Lyantor. Surgutneftegaz management at that time stated that it would hold talks only with representatives of the official union. That lead to a schism in that union and the rapid multiplication of independent unions.
The main demands of the independent unions are a return to a one-time payment of 800,000 rubles to retiring workers, wage increases and an increase of the base wage. “Now are wages are made up of 30 percent salary and 70 percent bonuses, which can be reduced for the smallest infraction. It goes so far that a worker receives only 4000 rubles per month,” Zakharkin said. Surgutneftegaz has refused to sign the sector's tariff agreement, under which the proportion to salary to bonuses should be no less the 40 percent to 60 percent. Company management has linked the wave of protest with an upcoming three-year collective agreement.
The central department of the official Neftegazstroiprofsoyuz does not approve of the actions of the independent unions. Deputy chairman of the union Vasily Verevkin told Kommersant that “Surgutneftegaz is one of the best paying oil companies,” he said, “with salaries averaging 35,000 rubles. Surgutneftegaz built a 190-unit apartment building and gave employees interest-free five-year loans to acquire the housing. Thus they placed us in an inconvenient position. Those who have received the order have to pay 12,000 rubles a month. Most likely, people don't have enough to live on. We need to sit down to negotiations. All of their threats to burn down oil well and so on will not lead to anything.” Verevkin also attributed unrest to “elementary envy” of the high salaries of Surgutneftegaz middle managers. Independent unionist Zakahrkin claims that Neftegazstroiprofsoyuz is in the management's “pocket.”
The reaction of Surgutneftegaz has been contradictory. General director Vladimir Bogdanov acknowledged the presence of social problems in the company at a July 13 press conference. “There are issues that are partially justified,” he said. He claimed that the Surgut city committee of the Communist Party was behind the unrest. Bogdanov has begun meeting with workers' collectives. Kommersant has learned that he promised workers in Lyantor a 52-percent pay raise as of next October 1 and a 10-percent increase throughout the company on August 1.
Surgutneftegaz managers are also said to be concerned about the negative effect a sharp pay raise will have on the city of Surgut, leading to price increases that would hit pensioners and state workers hard. Kommersant has also learned that there are discussions of firing a number of middle managers who “allowed” the unrest to break out. Surgutneftegaz is the first large “oligarch's” company to experience labor unrest. It is not surprising that this happened at Surgutneftegaz, however. Besides its high salaries, Surgutneftegaz is known for its iron discipline, imposed by Bogdanov on the company.
Daria Nikolaeva; Nikolay Yablonsky, Tyumen; Dmitry Butrin
All the Article in Russian as of July 20, 2006
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