“Thinking about how to make money and not to die”
How impoverished citizens of Russia in recent years?
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 15 January will deliver a message to the Federal Assembly, which, as reported by the national media, will also speak about the fight against poverty. From 2012 to the third quarter of 2019, real income of citizens, according to Rosstat, decreased by approximately 5%, although the Concept of long-term socio-economic development of Russia, adopted in 2008, expected growth of 64-72% by 2020. On the eve of the speech of the President of the Russian Federation Znak.com collected the opinions of both famous and ordinary people, all asking the question:
You became poorer?
Nikolai Kolyada,
playwright, Director and artistic Director of “Kolyada-theatre”:
— Richer I did not, it is 100%. In my theater we relocate, tighten, work like hell to survive. Don’t think about creativity, and thinking about how to earn money and not die. And more and more and more crushed any service. Tax, Rostekhnadzor, fire and other comrades who do not give to live. I understand that the state needs to be order to everything on the shelves. But when such big taxes, how to pay people? For every ruble I had to pay 48 cents to the state. Well, how to live? In this situation, how to live? For me, every ruble earned is theatre tickets. Helps me the state, I don’t have a rich uncle who helps. Therefore, the poorer we become, but to live so hard, you can not imagine.
Nikolai Romanov Colamariner / Znak.com
Karina Karinova,
an employee of the St. Petersburg charitable organization “Nochlezhka”:
— No, poorer than themselves felt. Because slightly better optimize expenses and realize I’m still in the relatively wealthy stratum, though, and don’t feel that you have the [income] adequate to the efforts.
But for the first time in my life I think about is a huge gap in the rate of return in Commerce and the rest. Never interested and therefore it is not expected that the difference with comparable functions and tasks can be at times. And second, felt betrayed and bend when I began to understand how much taxes we actually pay. The state comes up with new working ways not to lose a penny. But as soon as you need something, you are sent to hell. For example, if I complain that the clinic doctors are terrible and poor service, hear the answer: it is free, do not like to go pay. But only good thing is that I paid one hundred times and cry every month.
Yevgeny Roizman,
the former mayor of Ekaterinburg:
And I see a very serious increase. That is, no income growth, and a rise in prices on everything: on food, on gasoline, on utilities. Now I have to constantly count. But I’m not the only one. The main theme of my moves — no money. Communal growing, growing arrears in the utility bills. People simply can not pay. People can’t pay the mortgage, they take the apartment. Can’t cope with the interest on the loan. This is becoming more and more. And I feel what everyone is feeling. I have the same as everyone else, to look at the price tags, to think, to consider. I, like everyone, was forced to reduce consumption.
Evgeny Romanov Razmerami / Znak.com
Dmitry Kiryanov,
a resident of the village of Koltsovo (Kurgan oblast):
I work in a “roundabout” in Kurgan, receive 13 thousand roubles a month. From them 3 thousand — on the road, and 3 thousand — in the communal. And still need to get dressed. I just don’t live on that. Over the past year the cost of food increased by 300-400 roubles per week. Bread cost 18 rubles, now — 23 rubles, sugar cost 28 rubles, now — 52 of the ruble, “Shadrinsk” mineral water cost 26 rubles, now — 40 rubles.
Eduard Rossel,
the Senator of the Federation Council:
— Not ready to say unequivocally, you need to seriously think about. All information is that the wage falls, for six years already. I will be in a few months in ‘ 83, my consumption is very small, for me is impossible to navigate. Here the youth is influenced very strongly. And I get enough not to consider himself a poor man.
Eduard Romanov Roselaari / Znak.com
Vladimir Revenko,
head of the organizational Department of the Chelyabinsk regional organization of the “Mining and metallurgical trade Union of Russia”:
— The feeling that is getting worse and worse, especially in single-industry towns. 2014 greatly decreased revenues. All of that in such small towns there is no competition for workers. Employers feel it and hold low levels of pay. The plant can dictate the level of wages. But if closed city-forming enterprise, it is still more collapses. This happens in Bakal or in Sochi. Just a stalemate. Workers simply is no way out go for the money that they offer. But the employer has the ability to manipulate. Entrepreneurs see that the government is very slowly raises the minimum wage, and they read the signal.
Working in small towns say that there is a tacit agreement among employers about the level of salaries. In such areas, if a man at hard physical work gets 20-25 thousand rubles a month, which is good. More common wages 14-20 thousand people in a trap, because to sell their homes can’t and no one needs it or is very cheap. Even in Cheljabinsk can’t afford to buy an apartment and move. Plus the debt load. In these towns are poor adults, working people. That’s the problem. This situation indirectly shows the statistics of deaths, not related to the production. It is constantly growing. People are working two or three jobs, no time to rest, and health is undermined. To change the situation, you need at least to raise wages, as long as it does not match employee contributions to production.
Natalia Shmeleva,
working pensioner:
— On the one hand, like we began to live better. But on the other hand, the salary we did not raise how many years? Out all the consequences [consequences]. In stores after January 1, always all rise [in price]. And, accordingly, our [consumer] “basket” is reduced.
© 2020, paradox. All rights reserved.
