Russian timber industry agreement for 2016-2019 is registered in the Federal Labor and Employment Agency

On August 12, 2016 the Federal Labor and Employment Agency has registered the Russian timber industry agreement for 2016-2019 made by and between the Federal Forestry Agency and the Timber and Related Industries Workers’ Union of the Russian Federation on June 27, 2016.

The document specifying the relationships of timber workers and Rosleskhoz with its subordinate agencies has been signed by the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation – the Head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Valentik and the Chairman of the Timber and Related Industries Workers’ Union Denis Zhuravlev.

This industry agreement applies to the timber industry workers and other economic agents subordinated to the employer and (or) financed by the employer.

This agreement will be a basis for making collective contracts in the sector institutions. The agreement, due to its specific character, is an instrument setting forth the general terms and conditions, on the basis of which the collective contracts will be elaborated at the local level taking into account local specificities.

“Currently, the average salary in forestry, even in the most advanced institutions and enterprises of the industry, remains lower than in other sectors, and this situation must be broken; a system of social guarantees should be established. Recently, we made progress in this direction and achieved the inclusion of service allotments in the legislation – now it is formalized in legislation allowing timber workers to be provided with the forest reserve land plots for the purpose of housing construction. It is necessary to establish and use all possible mechanisms to attract young people into the industry,” commented Ivan Valentik.

The Russian timber industry agreement for 2016-2019 was made for the purpose of the establishment of general control mechanisms of social and labor relations, paying conditions, guarantees, compensation and benefits to the timber industry workers.

The agreement is a legal instrument providing coordination of the interests of employees and employers and setting forth the general paying conditions, guarantees, compensations and benefits to the timber industry workers and other economic agents within the jurisdiction of and financed by the Federal Forestry Agency.

The basis of the Agreement forms the Russian Federation Constitution, federal constitutional laws, federal laws and other rules and regulations of the Russian Federation, the General Terms Agreement among the national associations of trade unions, national associations of employers and the Government of the Russian Federation.