The minimum wage in Russia is a painful issue for its citizens. This indicator reflects the picture of the well-being of residents of the country, affects the size of social benefits for temporary disability, unemployment and others.
Wage: what is it?
The minimum wage is the minimum wage guaranteed by the state. This indicator means the minimum level of remuneration for work established at the federal level, which may be a citizen working in the territory of the Russian Federation, regardless of the qualifications of the employee and the nature of his duties. According to the plan, he should ensure the right of the worker to a decent life.
This indicator is also used to calculate benefits and social payments, and it is also used to calculate tax and other payments established by the state.
Remuneration below the minimum wage is unacceptable, an exception can only be in two cases: if the employee is employed as part-time or part-time. An administrative fine may be imposed on an enterprise that pays remuneration for labor below the minimum wage and its manager.
The minimum wage includes not only the main amount of monetary remuneration for work, but also compensation for special working conditions, as well as incentive payments.
What is the minimum wage in Russia? Each year, this indicator is indexed to the inflation rate in the country. In 2014, this amount amounted to 5,554 rubles, and since January 2015 it has grown to 5,965 rubles.
Separately, there is a minimum wage, which is used to calculate fines and the size of the authorized capital of legal entities. It is 100 rubles.
How are things in other countries?
The minimum wage exists not only in Russia, but also in other countries. If we make a comparison on this indicator, then the picture is as follows. Our country occupies a position in the second twenty, 23rd place of the rating existing for the European continent. The absolute leader in this ranking is Luxembourg. The minimum wage in this country is 75,600 rubles in equivalent.
Further, in the top five are countries such as Holland, Ireland, Belgium, France. Lower than in Russia, the minimum wage level is recorded in Moldova and Kazakhstan. There has been no review of this indicator since 2009.
The minimum wage in Russia is paradoxical in that it is lower than the established subsistence minimum, despite the conditions for the equality of these two indicators specified in article 133 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
The government of the Russian Federation takes measures in order to equalize the indicators, but the rate of inflation does not allow this to be done. If, according to the initial plan, the indicators were to be equal for three years by 2018, now it is not known whether it will be possible to achieve the goal in principle.
The minimum wage in 2015
Starting January 1, 2015, the minimum wage in Russia is 5965 rubles per month. The growth compared to 2014 was 7.5%. It is assumed that this was precisely the level of inflation in the past year.
Let's calculate how much the minimum wage in Russia is per hour of working time. The norm of hours per week is 40, an average of 22 working days in a calendar month, which means that the minimum payment for one hour is 33-34 rubles.
The Labor Code of the Russian Federation allows subjects to independently establish minimum wage indicators, the main thing is that they should not be lower than those set at the federal level. The highest minimum wage in Russia was recorded in the Magadan Region - 15 720 rubles. In Moscow, the figure is set at 14,000 rubles, and since June 1, 2015, it has been revised to an amount of 16,500 rubles.
Some regions decide to delimit the minimum wage according to areas of activity.For example, in the Tyumen Oblast the minimum wage is 5,965 rubles for workers in the public sector, and 8,934 rubles for workers in extrabudgetary areas.
What is the cost of living?
According to the initial plan, the cost of living and the minimum wage in Russia should be identical concepts, but so far we are far from that. The average cost of living in our country is 7,500 rubles. According to the draft resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, the size of this indicator can be increased to 9,662 rubles in 2015. The growth will be 17.3%. In this case, the gap between the amount of the subsistence minimum and the minimum wage indicator will reach 62%.
Living wage - this is the amount of money that should cover the cost of food, utilities, non-grocery goods and services.
What is a consumer basket?
There is also the concept of consumer basket. This is the minimum list of products, non-food goods and services sufficient to maintain health and ensure livelihoods. But is it really possible to live with such a list?
In total, 156 types of goods and services are included in the consumer basket. The list was compiled in 1992 and has not been updated since. If, out of curiosity, we compare our list with the list of other countries, it will become clear that it is very modest. In France, the consumer basket includes 250 items, in the USA - 300, in England - 350, and in Germany - 475.
The minimum wage indicator is calculated only for workers. The cost of living is calculated separately for workers, children and senior citizens. For children, it is slightly higher than for workers, and for pensioners a little lower. According to studies conducted by Rosstat, in our country about 17 million people are registered living on incomes that are significantly lower than the already small living wage.
Is it realistic to live on a minimum wage in Russia?
If the average minimum wage in Russia is defined as 5965 rubles, then food accounts for about 3000 rubles, that is, no more than 100 rubles per day. For this amount, it is proposed to buy: 160 g of meat, 345 g of bread and 795 ml of milk.
Four years ago, an Ural schoolboy decided to conduct an experiment and live a month on a grocery basket. The experiment ended with a loss of 3 kg of weight and a deterioration in health.
One can draw a simple conclusion that, despite the positive dynamics and constant growth of the minimum wage, he is not able to keep up with rising prices and provide citizens of his country with at least a slightly acceptable way of life. One can only hope that someday the situation will change, indicators will become equal and the principle of decent pay for labor will be realized.
