10,000 workers of auto plants have lost their jobs
Whether companies like Nissan will resume production depends on the course of the war in Ukraine
Russia once foreign car was a favorite of his company, 20In the 00s and 20s10At the beginning of the years, the demand for cars increased rapidly. Russia Since the invasion of Ukraine, many factories have stopped working, and workers are forced to look for other jobs.
Radio Liberty’s North.Realities portal in St. Petersburg 10 write that a thousand Russian workers face such uncertainty.
With a population of nearly 150 million, a rapidly expanding middle class Russia The forecasts were very optimistic at the time, distant 2020It is the largest in Europe by sales car would become a market.
A 97 percent reduction
USA, EuropeJapanese companies opened modern factories one after another, several in St. Petersburg and Kaluga car facilities were opened, and thousands of local workers were hired at relatively good wages
President Vladimir Putin After the decision to invade Ukraine, foreign companies suspended production indefinitely. Western sanctions have made it difficult or completely prohibited to import key components, including microprocessors or chips.
In May, car production in Russia decreased by 97 percent compared to a year ago.
Thousands of Russian workers do not know what to do.
An employee of the Nissan plant in St. Petersburg Sergey He told RFE/RL that people are waiting for what will happen. He added that his colleagues “are not discouraged” for now.
If the war lasts…
Whether or not companies like Nissan will resume production depends on the course of the war in Ukraine. Some Western militaries and experts say the war could drag on for years.
“We believe that this war will become more serious and last longer,” – CEO of Nissan Makoto Uchida said last month at the annual meeting of the company’s shareholders in Japan.
Nissan, which has up to 2,000 employees in St. Petersburg, has stopped production until at least October, Uchida said.
of Japan ToyotaKorea’s Hyundai, Europe’s Man and Scania companies have also stopped production at their factories.
Before the war, foreign car companies in St. Petersburg 10 up to 1,000, and up to 7,000 workers in Kaluga. Now almost all of them mandatory was released on leave.
But carmakers in St. Petersburg pay less than two-thirds of their workers’ wages. The average worker in this city earned 40,000 rubles ($634) a month, which is now 400 a month dollars they buy
They are looking for another job
The decrease in salary occurs against the background of the rising cost of living conditions in the country. Experts predict that inflation in Russia will rise to 14.5 percent this year.
Sergey, who did not want to be named, says that there is no point in leaving work now that they receive most of the salary.
However, the chairman of the Interregional Trade Union Workers’ Association (MPRA) in St. Petersburg Igor TemchenkoAccording to him, many workers in the automobile industry have lost their income compensation they are looking for extra work to do.
“Those with additional qualifications can find part-time work in this field, but many go to jobs that do not require qualifications: some load goods, some get a taxi driver’s license,” – he says.
If they leave once and for all…
Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov said that if foreign companies decide to leave once and for all, companies from “friendly countries” can take their place. He probably means China and India.
But that’s easier said than done. Because auto plants are designed to make specific models, it’s not easy to just change that, analysts say.
On the other hand, the car market of the country is currently 20It is not as attractive to foreign companies as it was in the 00s.
At a time when incomes are falling and the middle class is shrinking in Russia, even for companies from non-Western countries, hundreds of millions are being spent on new production facilities. dollars it will not be easy to justify the investment.