Doctors in Chukotka make almost RUR 190K ($2,900) per month, while their colleagues in the Altai Territory, only RUR 12K ($180). President of Russia Vladimir Putin has instructed the Government to raise their wages to the average level across the region, which in this case means doubling them, member of the State Duma Budget and Tax Committee Mikhail Shchapov said quoted by Argumenty i Fakty.
However, there are various tricks that help report the average income close to the one estimated by Rosstat, the lawmaker explained. For example, the average monthly income in the region is RUR 37K ($560). But a teacher’s salary is only RUR8,000 ($120). Schools add coefficients for the teacher’s category and extra hours, premiums for grading papers and class supervision, and other minor additions; as a result, their monthly wages add up to RUR 21K ($320), but still not RUR 37K.
However, there are some teachers who are willing to work themselves to death. They are entitled to the so-called incentives for managing the Unified State Examination, organizing field trips, etc. Their incomes may even reach RUR 50K ($760). Now if we calculate the average income among these teachers and those with regular salaries, we get a figure close to RUR 37K, that is, the average wage across the economy.
“This whole system leads, primarily, to a disproportion in salaries between regions. In the oil and gas-rich regions, wages are several times higher than the national average because salaries and premiums are higher there. There is a difference in wages within the regions as well. For example, working in remote areas in small schools serving about 30 pupils, a teacher has no chance of grading more than 30 papers; there are no museums to visit on a field trip either. As a result, teachers sometimes earn less than RUR 20K ($300),” Shchapov explained.
A similar situation is observed with other professions. Therefore, the expert proposed adjusting the compensation system in public service, making a fixed salary the main part of a worker’s income.