Our today's material is a selection of the most frequently asked questions about the minimum wage and answers to them. So read carefully - you may not know much yet.
1. What amount does the minimum wage mean?
The last determination of the size of this dates back to June 2011 and amounts to 4.611 rubles / month.
2. Wage - is it one or can there be several?
Some. The minimum salary set at the federal level and at the regional level are two different figures.
3. What is not included in the minimum wage?
The minimum wage, the amount of which cannot be lower than the subsistence level established in the country (although this principle, alas, is not respected in our country), does not include: allowances, surcharges, bonuses, other payments of a social, incentive and compensatory nature.
4. Is somehow the minimum wage linked to the number of hours worked?
Of course. The amount of the minimum wage is calculated for the fully worked out monthly norm of time and subject to the fulfillment of labor duties (labor standards). So, a normal work schedule per week should not exceed forty hours.
5. Does anyone else besides government bodies take part in the discussion of the minimum wage?
The minimum wage at the federal level is set only by the government and no one else. But the lowest wage threshold in the regions is the result of a tripartite agreement between authorities, employers and trade union organizations.
6. What is the basis for determining the Russian minimum wage?
The size of the minimum wage is established based on the analysis of information about:
- the needs of workers, as well as their families;
- the general salary level in Russia;
- the cost of living and trends in it;
- benefits for social security;
- a comparative standard of living of other social groups;
- economic factors, in particular, the requirements of economic development, the level of labor productivity, the desirability of achieving high levels of employment in the country and maintaining them.
7. What is the poverty line (cost of living)?
The cost of living, determined by the government in June 2011, is 6.473 rubles / month. This poverty line is an estimate in value terms of the minimum necessary set of food products, non-food products, services that a person needs in order to maintain his health, ensure livelihoods and make mandatory fees and payments (in particular, utilities).
8. How many people receive minimum wages in our labor market?
In general, in our country there are no official statistics on this issue. But here is what Rosstat can tell us. In the first quarter of 2011, 16% of the population was below the poverty line, which is almost 23 million people. Comparing with 2010, it is worth noting that this indicator, unfortunately, grew by 2 million.
9. Who controls that the minimum wage is respected by employers?
These regulatory bodies are:
- tax and labor inspectorates (federal level);
- social insurance fund;
- prosecutor's office.
10. What sanctions can be applied if the minimum wage legislation is violated and there are many precedents?
If there are violations of the term and procedure for paying salaries, then the following penalties await the perpetrators:
- 1-5 thousand rubles for individual entrepreneurs;
- 30-50 thousand rubles. for organizations.
There are no exact statistics on this issue, however, according to the data of the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2010, about 800 thousand violations of the law were stopped and more than 51 thousand offenders who did not take into account the legislation were prosecuted. As a result of the work, 832 heads of organizations and enterprises were disqualified for repeated violations.
11. If an employee is paid a salary below the minimum wage, where should I apply?
In this case, request an income statement from the personnel department and attach it to the complaint with the essence of the issue. Submit an application to the union operating at your facility, or send it to the labor inspectorate. Alternatively, try to discuss this with an accountant, the management of your company (preferably in writing).