A Stakhanovist pace
Labor shortages are usually good news for workers. Wages rise, working conditions become more bearable, and workers who are discriminated against have more chances of finding employment. This is the case in Russia at the moment, especially at factories associated with state defense orders, where women, the elderly and people with disabilities are more in demand than ever.
But growth in employment and income comes at a high price. Many employees are being urged to work at a “Stakhanovist” pace, referring to the Stalin-era Stakhanovite movement named after a coal miner, Alexei Stakhanov, who was known for working so hard he produced more coal than was required and whose example was used by the government to exploit workers.
Employers do not only motivate workers with bonuses, but also force them to work overtime, although workers say this is often done in a manner that, at surface level, appears voluntary. Some plants that produce military equipment have introduced 12-hour working days and six-day working weeks.
Many employees are pleased to be earning more. Sergei, an employee at a factory for AvtoVAZ, a Russian state-owned automobile manufacturing company, said: “In our production, wages have increased. This is mainly due to the appearance of an absenteeism bonus [a bonus for not having missed any working hours].
“Those of us who didn’t quit, now work seven days a week and overtime. All this is paid at double the rate. The salaries are good. It’s realistic to get paid more than 150,000 rubles ($1,650). But the work, of course, is exhausting.”
The flip side of such initiatives is a rise in injuries and fatalities at work.
A contributor to the Sisyphus of Labor Telegram channel wrote: “In accordance with Putin’s instructions, we are given the right to spend our life at work. Every day you can stay for four hours more, and you are cordially invited to work 12 hours on your day off.
“You don’t have to go on vacation, just work and work… Those who work in this way began to faint and go on sick leave with chronic illnesses that have flared up.”
