Who’s to protect a factory worker’s rights

Process safety

The trade union of Kazanorgsintez PJSC and the leadership of the enterprise managed to create good tandem that improves the staff’s performance by joint efforts. Major commandments of social partnership of the executive directorate of Kazanorgsintez and the trade union are explained in the collective agreement. It includes about 30 names of benefits and guaranteed payments. The trade union has 11 permanent commissions and joint commissions on social insurance, labour disputes and non-state pension schemes.

Understanding that Kazanorgsintez is one of the hazardous chemical factories, the administration of the trade union pays a lot of attention to compliance with the agreement on working conditions and process safety. The commission on process safety supervises it. It consists of 86 safety inspectors. They inspect in workplaces and make remarks to directors if safety rules aren’t followed.

“We work in a hazardous chemical factory, this is why safety is a priority. We also pay attention to providing all workers with good workwear, personal protective equipment. The non-compliance with these rules is seriously punished. 86 process safety inspectors perform internal supervisory functions. It is our eyes and ears that provide us with information about safety violations quickly and on time,” Niyaz Gazeyev, chairman of the Trade Union Committee of the Kazanorgsintez PJSC Trade Union.

Continuous development of production and construction of new sites, for instance, SGU-250 require improving process safety. This is why the trade union is introducing a new post — the trade union’s process safety inspector. He will coordinate the work of all process safety inspectors.

Support for families with disabled children

Apart from process safety, the trade union and administration jointly defend the interests of the enterprise’s workers. It is important to keep balance in this delicate issue.

“We are fenced off the rod, which allows us to solve problems our workers have to face flexibly and diplomatically. The trade union and administration have a professional relationship based on trust. We find ways of cooperation, improve the legal framework,” Niyaz Gazeyev said.

Vice Chairwoman of the Trade Union Committee of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Trade Union Natalya Roslyakova added that there might be questions about punishment because of a violation, dismissal. Sometimes they have to deal with family conflicts too.

In case a worker has hardships because of financial costs, the trade union can provide material aid. For instance, it can compensate for a part of costs on expensive treatment that the employee or his family members need.

“Now together with the administration, we are creating a document to help disabled children of workers of our enterprise. We will consider each case individually. The administration is also aimed at social support for the workers, this is why we hope our initiative will be supported,” Niyaz Gazeyev said.

Rise in salaries as one of the clauses of the collective agreement

Meanwhile, Director General of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Farid Minigulov said about the ultimate goal of the socially oriented enterprise:

“The goal of the socially oriented enterprise like Kazanorgsintez is, first of all, to provide its workers with money. The employees must be sure of tomorrow to make long-term plans, invest in a house, car, a good holiday. Salary indexation will allow not only avoiding a reduction in our workers’ income but also provide its growth.”

In this respect, the trade union acts together with the enterprise’s administration. And the annual rise in salary in the factory is explained in one of the clauses of the collective agreement. The management of the factory meets its obligations: the latest big indexation of salaries at Kazanorgsintez was this summer. The workers had the highest growth. Their salaries grew by 30%. Specialists’ base salary rose by 10%. The executives’ salaries had the lowest indexation. Here the rise in incomes totalled from 3 to 7%.

As the amount of a monthly reward is fixed at 100% of base salary in Kazanorgsintez’s collective agreement, the reward will proportionally grow after indexation. So a worker’s annual monthly salary (excluding specialists and the management’s income) was 49,800 rubles for five months in 2019. It is by 40% higher than the general average salary in Tatarstan for the same period.

The previous indexation at Kazanorgsintez was less than a year ago, on 1 August 2018. Then the salary rose by 11% on average.

Benefits for petrochemist

The officials of Kazanorgsintez together with the trade union try to create not only working but also living conditions for the workers. This is why a housing programme is an additional stimulus when one wants to work here. TAIF Group of Companies annually makes voluntary transfers for the social mortgage programme.

There were three housing programmes in 2014-2016. A worker could use three sources of financing: a loan equal to 277,000 rubles, which the enterprise gave, his own money and Avers Bank’s credit.

“At that moment, Avers granted credits at 11%. The enterprise compensated for a 4% difference so that terms of the loan coincided with the social mortgage (Editor’s Note: social mortgage payments are 7%). Today Avers Bank grants a loan at 9%, consequently, we can compensate 2%,” Fanur Almiyev, head of the Social Department at Kazanorgsintez PJSC, said.

Concessionary credit terms are simple: an employee’s service record must be a year. The area of the flat he lives in must be at least 18 square metres per person.

In addition, single workers who need accommodation are provided with a temporary place in the enterprise’ hall of residence. Those who go back to work on demobilisation after compulsory military service and those who marry for the first time are paid money. The employees’ children can go to Sunny camp on holiday.

Members of the trade union also have a chance to get partial compensation for a tour to Bakirovo, Izhminwaters, Pearl, Vasilyevo and Livadiya health resorts once in three years. The compensation depends on the length of membership in the trade union and location of the health resort. Payments can reach from 4 to 7,000 rubles. Workers who purchase a tour to Mother and Child can also count on a partial compensation once in three years. In this case, the trade union can pay up to 15,000 rubles, but no more than half of the holiday cost.

KOS workers master a new sport — hockey

The management of the enterprise seriously cares about the workers’ health and supports their interest in any sport. So having understood that the employees participated in urban bicycle races with pleasure, the trade union organised a bicycle rental on the territory of the enterprise with the administration’s support.

“Some of our workers manage to rent a bicycle during their lunchtime, go to Blue Lake and be back. Moreover, they have a security checkpoint and they can’t be late. Members of the trade union have bicycle parking on the territory of Chemists’ Culture Centre, Orgsintez swimming pool, a health resort, next to security checkpoints and even in the water intake area. All bicycles are modern, they easily fold up. They can be put in the boot and ride them in the city,” Niyaz Gazeyev said.

The management of Kazanorgsintez actively supports 12 sports the enterprise's workers do. So factory workers achieve great success in urban chess and draughts competitions. Futsal, volleyball teams were created on their initiative. This year Kazanorgsintez’s workers offered to create new teams in another sport — hockey. A group of 40 people has already been made up.

The enterprise supports the workers’ sports aspirations and pays them gym rental, coaches’ salary, the uniform. By the way, the trade union promises to update the uniform and purchase new shoes by winter.

Kazanorgsintez search party

Work with young staff aged under 35 years is important for Kazanorgsintez. They account for over 40% of the enterprise’s personnel. The commission on youth affairs of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Trade Union annually makes up a calendar of events the young creative collective of the company can show its talents. So the workers participate in urban and republican KVN humour game, Brain Ring, a youth forum of the Tatarstan republican committee of the Russian Chemists’ Trade Union.

Every year talented workers of the enterprise perform in Our Era open republican TV festival among working youth. Last year, Kazanorgsintez’s employee Almaz Yalyshev won a second place with a solo vocal performance. This year he also participates in the festival and hopes to occupy the first place.

The Trade Union’s commission on work with the youth pays special attention to the patriotic education of its young workers. This year it is planned to create a search party that will work in battlefields of the Great Patriotic War.

“I started cooperation with the trade union in 2014 and familiarise it with the search movement, said about the patriotic component, the work done in Tatarstan and Russia to search the missed during the Great Patriotic War. This year it was made a decision to create a search party. We’ve already had 15 people, and now they are provided with all necessary equipment,” Shakirdzhan Abdusalyamov, head of the commission on youth affairs of Kazanorgsintez PJSC Trade Union, said.

It is planned the party will go on the first dig in Leningrad Oblast in spring. Now its members will be taught the basics of search in the city so that they will know what to do when explosive objects are found, can distinguish human bones from animal body fragments.

New collective agreement from 2020

There have been made about ten new proposals to the collective agreement since its creation from 2017 to 2019 aimed at improving Kazanorgsintez workers’ working and living conditions. The collective agreement expires this year, and a new one must be signed until 22 February 2020.

Now the trade union is accepting proposals of novelties to the collective agreement from the staff. It should be noted that the next collective agreement will also be signed for three years and will be better than the previous one because there will be new benefits considering interests of both the administration and workers of the enterprise.

Partnership material