In order to reduce in Russia, the working week must first achieve an adequate growth in productivity and real incomes.
Remember that he wrote our classic of the landowner Manilov: “Sometimes, looking from the porch into the yard and pond, he spoke about how nice it would be if suddenly from the house to conduct an underground passage or by the pond to build a stone bridge, which would have been on both sides of the stalls, and the merchants sat and sold the different small goods necessary for farmers. While his eyes were made very sweet person and had a most satisfied expression; however, all these schemes and ended only with words.”
First, what’s so funny? He does not dream about something unrealizable, unreal? Another thing is that doing nothing and not doing to fulfill their sweet dreams. And are we not living in a dream, realizing that a finger will not strike for their implementation?
Secondly, this was bad from dreams manilow?
Because everything is relative. Here our contemporary Dmitry Medvedev thinks: how nice it would be to introduce in Russia a four-day working week. The free will, everyone has the right to think how we could improve Russia. But the hitch is that he – the Prime Minister of the Russian government. And not just dreams, and gave the order to the Ministry of labour until 30 September to assess the prospects of “project.” There should be another hitch. Let’s say I was the boss. And ordered a subordinate to evaluate my idea, which is shared with the whole world – in his speech at the session of the International labour organization in Geneva. It is clear from the subordinate, in our centuries-long traditions of deference, in the eyes of delight, by the language of burns: “Brilliant, Your Excellency!”
And here country a week discussing. It seems that Dmitry Medvedev has taken into account some remarks. The other day he warned: “It cannot be understood too literally, it is, of course, not right this second… And exactly in this case, you need to take into account all the nuances associated with requests both the employee and the employer. It is obvious that this must be accompanied by productivity growth, on the one hand, if we are talking about a full working week, and, of course, the persistence of the wage that is available, not a reduction or some other way to make it do”.
Apparently, maintaining the current salary seemed to be riding good, generous promise. I don’t think he knows that we have 5 million workers (!) citizens receive wages below the living wage are below the poverty line. Simply put – live in poverty. Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets on this occasion spoke publicly: “This is a unique phenomenon in the social sector – working poor”. Rightly said. But apparently forgot to report personally to his chief.
On the other hand, what so bad to work 4 days a week and get the same money as 5 days? For this we only need to accept the fact that wages in the foreseeable future will not rise. Get used to it. We poverty the usual.
Finally, independent economists fear that the four days will weaken and without that not the strongest production will reduce the final yield.
However, don’t just criticize. Prime Minister Medvedev is absolutely right when he determined the conditions of transition to the four-day week: “This should be accompanied by labor productivity growth”.
A hundred years ago, Prime Minister Vladimir Ulyanov (Chairman of people’s Commissars V. I. Lenin) wrote: “Productivity is in the final analysis the most important, the most important thing for the victory of the new social order”.
That is the cornerstone of development, knew and Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation in 2008-2012. And so in 2012, again as President, set a task for the next 6 years to increase productivity by 50%. By 8.35% each year.
The deadline expired. Take annual collections of Rosstat “Russia in figures”, count by years. In the five years 2012-2016 – annual growth of labor productivity was 0.52%. In statistics this is called “within statistical error”.
However, in 2017 Rosstat has ceased to be an independent Agency and was subordinated to the Ministry of economic development. Of course, unpleasant, when the Department, under the Ministry of development, shows hypoplasia , or even undeveloped. Soon Rosstat revised the previous figures, and announced that in 2015, the productivity fell 1.9%, as mentioned earlier, but only 1.1% in 2016 declined by 0.3%, while, by contrast, rose 0.2%. In 2017, the same year the growth amounted to 1.9%.
However, then, in July 2019, Rosstat has gone almost philosophical Empyrean. At the meeting of the scientific-methodological Council, it Vysokochistye experts stated that to make a precise calculation of labour productivity is impossible – due to lack of information and specifics of economic activity of enterprises in Russia.
That is, the mind can not understand Russia, Rosstat, the General not to measure?
In General, the labor productivity in Russia is almost three times lower than in European countries. In agriculture – five times. But Europe still does not think about switching to four-day week. So we to implement the proposals Medvedev should not only catch up but also overtake Europe in the growth of labour productivity, economic growth and, consequently, on the welfare of the population.
In early 2012, Prime Minister Putin, speaking in the state Duma with the report on the work of the government, planned: “According to our estimates, in the next two to three years Russia will be among the five largest economies in the world.”
In 2016, President Putin in his address to the Federal Assembly, announced the country: “I Instruct the government to develop a substantive action plan 2025, the implementation of which will allow for the turn of 2019-2020 to get on the pace of economic growth above the world, and thus to build up Russia’s position in the global economy”.
Summary of the implementation or non-implementation of the global objectives of economic development of the country – welfare of the population.
In 2012 we were promised that by 2018, real wages will increase by 40-50%. “Real wages” is “purchasing power”, a term similar to the term “real income”, although these words in the infamous may decrees of the President from 2012 was not used.
Last time in the last six-year real income of population grew in 2013 by 4%. Then came the fall: 0,7%, 3,2%, 5,8%, 1,2% and in 2018 – 0,2%. Data for 2018 after the submission of Rosstat, Ministry of economic development.
In any case, perhaps we should be grateful to Prime Minister Medvedev for the return to reality. Voracek he spoke of the transition to a four-day working week, no mention of the economic situation in Russia. That is the cart put before the horse – in the worst national administrative traditions. And then, it seems, woke up and returned the horse to place.
Now we have to wait for it we’re lucky. As promised it was in 2012. Not to mention the previous decades.
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