Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim offer sector’s best social guarantees

In worker’s interests

Socially oriented companies fix a decent salary and the best working conditions in the collective agreement to guarantee every worker that his social rights and interests will be met. The document is the key instrument to regulate social and labour relations in the organisation. Last year, chemical enterprises of the republic signed five collective agreements at Ammonia JSC, TAIF-NK JSC, Kazan SR JSC, Tasma Oil Refinery LLC, Tatnefteprodukt Chemical Plant JSC. Moreover, 12 collective agreements that had been signed previously were extended, including at Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim. As a rule, the trade union is a representative of the staff. Constantly operating commissions in enterprises supervise if obligations of the agreement are fulfilled.

The Tatarstan Republican Committee of the Russian Chemists’ Trade Union annually hosts The Best Collective Agreement republican sectoral competition. In 2019, the collective agreements of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC, Kazanorgsintez PJSC and Ammonia JSC became the winners of the competition among manufacturing enterprises. Neftekhimproject JSC was the winner of the competition among non-manufacturing enterprises, Tatkhimfarmpreparaty JSC is a laureate of the competition. All above-mentioned companies received diplomas and payouts.

“The collective agreement gained its importance in the 90s. Of course, they had been signed previously too, but minimum rights and guarantees had been written down then. Now the more additional benefits the trade union’s committee obtains and adds to the collective agreement, the better it is for the workers. Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez are traditionally strong enterprises. One of them always wins, moreover, they become the best in the republic — the Federation of Trade Unions hosts the analogous competition among all enterprises once in two years. This year the difference between the indicators was the hundredth point, this is why they didn’t single out anybody but simply decided that these enterprises won the manufacturing sphere, the others — in the non-manufacturing one,” Chairman of the Tatarstan Republican Committee of the Russian Chemists’ Trade Union Aleksey Ilyin said.

The jury of the competition noted the winners’ work to improve the collective agreements, especially the parts Social and Economic Protection and Youth Affairs (Kazanorgsintez PJSC, Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC, Ammonia JSC. They also pointed out NKNK’s work on financing of cultural and sports events (0,3% of the payroll fund according to the collective agreement). The KOS collective agreement was also put an example because all social payouts in the enterprise depend on the minimum wage, so financial support for the factory workers increases together with a rise in the minimum wage.

“Even if there is inflation, the workers won’t suffer. In 2019, Kazanorgsintez had very big payouts, 175,000 rubles per worker, while it was much more two years ago. But this depends, for instance, on the number of children the workers have, the number of people who celebrate jubilees. In a word, this number varies depending on parameters. The factory takes additional process safety measures, improves working conditions every year. There are about 30 types of payouts, shuttles, big work to improve the staff’s health — a lot can be enumerated. Nizhnekamskneftekhim has its peculiarities of the collective agreement: money is allocated additionally for cultural and mass events, sport and health improvement. This is why their development in these areas is great. Ammonia — our new young enterprise — doesn’t lag behind the large enterprises either despite certain moments. The competitors already have robust competition and ambitions. Chairpeople of trade unions in enterprises share experience regarding new benefits and guarantees included in collective agreements and offer to introduce additional clauses in their enterprises,” Aleksey Ilyin gave an example.

Rise in salary and teaching new specialities

In 2019, Tatarstan chemical and petrochemical enterprises produced goods for 326 billion rubles. Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim keep implementing big projects on construction and expansion of plants.

Workers of trade unions monthly collect and analyse information about the average salary in the enterprises and the minimum wage twice a year. Commissions control the timeliness of payouts and insurance contributions to the Pension Fund of Russia, Social Insurance Fund and Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. Last year, the Tatarstan chemists’ incomes increased by 12,7%, according to the Russia Chemists’ Trade Union’s information. The average salary in big enterprises totalled 54,412 rubles, the salary in the sector was 53,808. There was noted growth above the consumer price index (105,5%) in most enterprises. No enterprise has salaries below the minimum wage. Moreover, the number of workers who received salaries beyond the minimum consumer budget reduced to 87 people in the sector (15,693 in 2019).

It is noteworthy that incomes of some chemists keep growing. So this February Nizhnekamskneftekhim raised its employees’ salaries from 5% to 15% again. Despite the difficult economic situation and a decline in the world automotive production that affected natural and synthetic rubber rates, plastics, a rise in price for feedstock and energy, the company is convinced that it is important to maintain the workers’ high quality of life. In 2019, the salaries in the enterprise rose by 13% with all increments, additional payouts, rewards and other incentives.

To provide employment, the collective agreements were added obligations on training and retraining of workers. 22,856 specialists completed training last year: 1,106 people of them obtained second and third specialities, 13,044 upgraded their qualification, and 6,921 listened to courses on process safety. Over 12,500 workers, specialists and executives did different training last year at Nizhnekamskneftekhim alone.

Kazanorgsintez, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Ammonia, Tatnefteprodukt and some other enterprise regularly host vocational competitions. A young employee of NKNK Rail Abdullin was first in the final and won a gold medal in 7^th National WorldSkills competition.

The enterprises of the sector successfully implement the Programme of Improvement of Working Conditions and Process Safety for whose financing about 1,5 billion rubles are allocated every year. Nizhnekamskneftekhim has an additional agreement within the Programme signed between the management of the enterprise and the trade union. The document includes several areas of activity in process safety. If the Programme is created by the administration of the factory, the agreement is made up according to the workers’ requirements and wishes that are collected in all subdivisions. It can be a repair of sanitary and amenity rooms or modernisation, reconstruction of manufacturing units and equipment, that’s to say, the employees themselves offer ideas of what should change in their workplace. This meets the final goal of the agreement within the Programme — improvement of working conditions.

So, in 2019 Kazanorgsintez took 38 measures for 24,5 million rubles, Nizhnekamskneftekhim did 33 measures for 14,9 million rubles. Kvart JSC and Tatkhimfarmpreparaty JSC did a big job to provide safety. Health measures have been taken for pre-pensioners since 2019 at the expense of the Social Insurance Fund.

Social guarantees for every worker

In 2019, the total amount of social payouts, benefits, compensations in collective agreements, costs on improving working conditions in the enterprises of the sector were 3,52 billion rubles. The sides fulfilled all obligations, the employers timely transferred payments to private insurance funds, allocated money for children’s holidays. The collective agreements include the employers’ obligations to timely pay insurance premiums to the Pension Fund of Russia. Moreover, Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC, Kazanorgsintez PJSC, Tatnefteprodukt Chemical Plant JSC, the Karpov Chemical Plant, Neftekhimproject JSC have been cooperating with private pension funds for several years to provide their workers with additional payouts.

Trade unions of some enterprises managed to fix the employer’s obligations to improve the workers’ living conditions in collective agreements. So Nizhnekamskneftekhim pays mortgage interest, an additional housing development programme with an agreement with Avers Bank, a flat sale and purchase agreement by instalments instead of its workers. The social package of the employees includes corporate mortgage programmes and state mortgage co-financing programmes. Even a young specialist can improve his living conditions or buy a flat for the first time. Young families can take out a loan for the essentials, and when a baby is born, the family will get financial aid.

Kazanorgsintez employees are partly compensated for the interest paid for mortgage agreements of Avers Bank. Moreover, the factory workers’ families get flats with a social mortgage. When a worker retires, leaves the job because of the 1^st- and 2^nd-degree disability and due to the death, a relative of the factory worker is, first of all, added to the list for a social mortgage flat. The employees can improve their health in the enterprise’s health resorts with an 80% discount. Mothers can have days off to spend a holiday with their children with 50% coverage of the average salary. Parents can also take up to four days off a month to take care of their disabled children.

The factory has different types of social payouts too: financial aid if a baby is born, a one-time payout for large families by 1 September, a payout to one of the parents of a disabled child. So if a baby is born to a family, the worker receives five minimum wages and a short holiday with pay. A child benefit is paid until the child is 3. Parents of a disabled child receive a child benefit equal to the minimum wage. If a parent is single, the enterprise pays half of the kindergarten fee. Women who worked for at least 7,5 years and men — for more than 10 years — receive a reward equal to four minimum wages by the 50^th anniversary of the factory. The employees with cars have five guarded parking for 2,500 lots.

The workers without cars are delivered by shuttles. Analogous transport conditions were created at Nizhnekamskneftekhim too. There are tens of comfortable buses with 11 special routes run between the enterprise and the city every 5 minutes. To improve working conditions, the factory has a programme to repair canteens, changing rooms, shower rooms and leisure rooms. The petrochemists have recently switched to a new system providing with special clothes, special shoes and means of protection.

According to an agreement with Ufa R&D Centre of Labour Medicine and Ecology, the NKNK employees are diagnosed and receive treatment, prevented from occupational diseases. The polyclinic with modern equipment on the territory of NKNK has all kinds of doctors, they do all types of tests. Female employees of the factory on maternity leave receive food until the baby is 1,5 years old.

Other chemical enterprises care about their workers’ health and leisure time too. For instance, Kvart JSC has its own health post, while Tatkhimfarpreparaty JSC provides the workers who didn’t have sick leave during the year three additional days to their holiday. The collective agreements of the enterprises of the sector include benefits for mothers, large families, families with disabled children.

Support for young workers

The youth account for up to 40% and more in large enterprises of the sector. Young workers also participated in the creation of the project of collective agreements, explaining their rights. A Kazanorgsintez worker who gets married for the first time receives financial aid equal to two minimum wages. Future mothers are free from work during the medical check-up.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim employees get a three-day holiday with pay and 10,000 rubles when they get married (in case of the first marriage). When a baby is born, they receive a one-time payout of 15,000 rubles, when twins are born — 70,000 rubles, triple — 100,000 rubles. Plus, there is an interest-free loan of 50,000 rubles to buy the essentials. The factory pays those who are back from the army a bonus of 10,000 rubles, while Kazanorgsintez young workers who saw service receive an aid equal to 10 minimum wages.

Both enterprises praise the staff for an active healthy lifestyle. Nizhnekamskneftekhim has a modern sports base including Neftekhimik sports venue with a football pitch, gyms for weightlifting and aerobics, two ice palaces, Friendship sports and health complex with a swimming pool and gyms and a lot of other sports venues. The enterprise constantly hosts sports events, it held over 150 competitions only last year. A competition with 32 sports became the biggest tournament, about 8,000 petrochemists and their family members participated in it. The staff can have a rest and improve its health in NKNK’s own health resort — Shipbuilding Grove. The employees’ children annually receive tour to The Youth and The Olympian camps, moreover, the parents make just a symbolic payment.

In 2019, Kazanorgsintez also hosted mass skiing, volleyball, athletic, table tennis, chess competitions — 12 sports in total. The factory workers actively competed in the all-Russian competitions Nation’s Cross Country Race and Russian Ski Run. The workers who are members of the trade union whose children swim in Orgsintez swimming pool received compensation of 20% of the price. The children whose parents work at Kazanorgsintez love holidays in The Sunny camp. Only a fifth of the holiday’s price is paid.

“In the last 15 years, social payouts have seriously increased in all enterprises of the sector, a lot of additional benefits and guarantees have appeared in the collective agreements. Take Kazanorgsintez: in 2009, the section Workers’ Social Protection had 17 clauses, and now it has over 30, and new ones appear annually. The workers themselves actively participate in this work. Several months to the update of the collective agreement, the employees are informed, they asked for their proposals, and the most important and doable ones are certainly added to the document. In a word, the numbers speak for themselves. It is clear that all enterprises in the sector have different conditions, some don’t have such big collective agreements, but it sets a benchmark, what to aspire to,” the head of the Tatarstan Republican Committee of the Russian Chemists’ Trade Union stressed.

The total value of the collective agreement of Nizhnekamskneftekhim is 1,6 million rubles, 106,600 rubles per worker. The total value of the collective agreement at Kazanorgsintez is 1,5 million rubles, 174,960 rubles per employee. The collective agreements in all enterprises that participated in the competition were evaluated at 3,5 million rubles. 28,500 people in total work in the sector.