Russia took first place at the international Arc Cup welding competition in Nantong, China, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Employees of Mosgaz, Moscow’s gas utility, won seven of the nine medals claimed by the Russian team, including five golds and two silvers.
Russia topped the team standings based on the combined scores of each country’s three best performers in every discipline, according to the announcement. The Russian team included Valentin Olkhovsky from the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and Rinat Izikaev from Bashkortostan, both winners and medalists in the welding category of Russia’s Best in Profession competition.
Competitors from China, Germany, India, South Africa and Senegal also took part, according to the host college.
Mosgaz is currently offering welders in Moscow monthly salaries starting at 130,000 rubles ($1,400) for a five-day working week. Welders were Russia’s highest-paid blue-collar workers over the summer, according to business publication Invest-Foresight. However, most vacancies offer salaries in the range of 50,000–95,000 rubles a month, the publication reported.