[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Delivered-To: mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [New-Worker-News] Putins reforms > >>From a young Russian comrade currently studying in Wales - Richard. > >Subject: > Putins reforms > Date: > Wed, 21 Jun 2000 00:45:06 GMT0BST > From: > Viktor Bourenkov > > > President Putin has announced about the increase of the >monthly >minimal wage in Russian Federation from the current level of 83 >roubles >to 123 roubles, with further increase up to 200 roubles in January >2001 >and to 300 roubles in July 2001, Radio Russia reported today. > How generous of him! This is an act of total jeering at the >working people. When 83 roubles were set around 1995 (that is, taking >into consideration the 1000:1 denomination on 1 January 1998), they >were even then below the subsidence minimum. Annual inflation rates >have been between 15 and 40 percent in 1994�1997, but during the >1998 >crisis the rate amounted to over 200 percent. > As a matter of fact, the current USD:rouble rate fluctuates >around >28:1. Although this rate exaggerates the real value of dollar (as >compared with the amount of basic products, which can be bought per >dollar and per rouble), this still should give a good estimator for >the >labour costs under the restored capitalism. > There have been some predictions of a new wave of inflation >coming >in the next few months. So, it is quite likely that the announced >increase will not reflect on the real value of wages at all, as it >has >been on a number of occasions under Yeltsin. > The statistics concerning the distribution of wages vary, but >jobs >paid at minimal or close-to-minimal levels are quite common. > The major focus for the left in Russia at the moment is the >new >anti-workers' labour law-code, which the government is willing to >pass. >It increases the working week from 48 to 56 hours and devoids trade >union of virtually any rights. However, it seems that even if it the >existing code will be kept, this will be a little obstacle for Putin >to >continue Yeltsin's reforms. With the current wages, people are >simply >forced to work more than 48 hours per week, and the wage labour tends >to transform into slave labour. > Meanwhile, the government intends to set a fixed tax rate of >13 >percent regardless of income. This is the derivative of robbing the >working people since this change would legalise oligarchs getting >away >with not paying taxes for the capitals, which they acquired in the >criminal privatisation. > All this is happening at the time when attempts are being made >to >increase retirement age. At the moment, it is still at the Soviet >levels � 60 for men and 55 for women. The market reforms have >already >driven the male life expectancy down to 58 years. Should the pension >age be increased to 65 years, the pensioners' strip in the >population >pyramid will become unnoticeable. > Reformers promised achieving high living standard under their >democracy. When a first dramatic drop in living conditions in decades >occurred in 1992, they said that it was all communists' fault. >When no >improvement followed in 1993, they said that it were to be the >"worst" >year because of transition. All the subsequent years were also >"worst" >apparently. They have nothing left to say now. It will only take the >proletariat awake from the slumber to overthrow the oppressive >r�gime. > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
