The romance of distant travels and meeting new cities leads young people to choose professions related to railway transportation. It is not for nothing that railways spread out to all corners of our vast Russia over 124 thousand km.
By the way, Russian Railways (Russian Railways Joint Stock Company) is the largest industry company in the country. In addition, railway workers perform a critical function in transporting goods and passengers from the farthest corners of the country.
One of the most necessary professions that ensures the smooth operation of diesel and electric locomotives is the profession of an assistant driver. His immediate responsibilities include monitoring the serviceability of the locomotive. That is, the life and health of thousands of people depends on how carefully the assistant will treat his duties.
What salary does an assistant driver receive for such responsible work? Can he count on additional payments and bonuses? Does the employee apply for a preferential pension? How much will his retirement benefit be?
Professional responsibilities and work characteristics
It is worth noting that the profession of an assistant driver is quite highly paid in the transport industry. But in order to become a full member of the locomotive crew of an electric or diesel locomotive, you need to obtain secondary specialized education at a railway technical school or college with a specialty in “Motion”.
Then the applicant will have to undergo a strict medical selection. There is an impressive list of contraindications that may cause refusal to apply for the position of assistant driver. Among them:
- all types of mental disorders;
- chronic infectious and parasitic diseases;
- active forms of tuberculosis;
- chronic diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems;
- abnormalities in the development of the organs of vision and hearing;
- color and night blindness;
- venereal and skin diseases.
After the medical examination, the position applicant will have a 3-4 month internship, which ends with an exam in the specialty. Only after this is he allowed to work.
The duties of the assistant driver include:
- inspection of a diesel locomotive (electric locomotive) and checking its technical condition upon acceptance and delivery of a shift;
- monitoring the correct coupling of freight or passenger cars;
- ensuring communication between the dispatch team and the locomotive driver;
- control over speed limits and light signals.
Also, the assistant driver is obliged, if necessary, to completely take over all the actions of the main driver. He must always be attentive and disciplined, have an instant reaction, physical endurance and high stress resistance.
It must be remembered that a technically complex and responsible profession for people’s lives requires constant improvement of skills, i.e. Each assistant driver is systematically required to confirm his qualifications.
Salaries at JSC Russian Railways
Training to become a Russian Railways electric train driver in Moscow
Russian railways are a monopolist in the market for transporting goods and passengers across the territory of the Russian Federation. Electric trains, intercity and international trains carry millions of passengers a year.
The average salary of a Russian Railways train driver, according to the company, in 2018 is 70,000 rubles. per month. In different Russian regions, his work is assessed differently.
This figure varies depending on different regions. On Sakhalin it reaches 100,000 rubles. per month, in Ingushetia - 86,600 rubles, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 70,000 rubles, and in the Chechen Republic - 58,333 rubles.
And the salary depends on several factors.
Drivers are trained at the railway technical school, which you can enroll in after completing 9 years of secondary school. The list of disciplines taught to future specialists is very extensive. To operate a train, you will need knowledge of its technical characteristics, railway traffic rules, safety precautions, etc. .
To advance to the rank of driver, you need to start as an assistant (we are talking about a diesel locomotive or an electric locomotive). An assistant driver in Russia today receives an average of 50 thousand rubles.
His salary depends on the category assigned to a specialist. The third class can be obtained no earlier than after two years of work on a locomotive. Having reached second class, the driver receives the right to operate passenger commuter trains.
Regarding drivers of long-distance passenger trains, for example, a Russian Railways driver earns from 90 to 100 thousand rubles, even more. The maximum earnings for a Sapsan driver are 110-120 thousand rubles. But working on it requires maximum qualifications from a specialist.
Analysis of data from more than 100 employment sites reflects changes in offers on the labor market:
More detailed dynamics are presented in the table
Tab. 3. Change in earnings of diesel and electric locomotive drivers
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Locomotive | Electric locomotive | ||||||||
| 25 | 20 | 25 | 30 | March | 35 | 27,5 | 32 | 35 | |
| 25 | 20 | 25 | 25 | May | 37,5 | 32,2 | 32 | 30 | |
| 26,5 | 21,5 | 23,3 | 25,9 | June | 40 | 35 | 32 | 30 | |
| 24,4 | 25,4 | 25 | 23,1 | 30 | August | 46,5 | 42 | 35 | 35 |
| 23,8 | 20,8 | 25 | 23,3 | September | 30 | 34,1 | 55 | … | |
| 29,5 | 21,5 | 24 | … | November | 37,5 | 30 | 30 | … | |
| 29,5 | 22,3 | 23 | … | December | 45 | 33,3 | 30 | … |
As of 09/21/18, by profession:
- Diesel locomotive driver in Russia: 495 vacancies open. For 37.6% of open vacancies, employers indicated a salary of 26,000-39,000 rubles. 34.1% of advertisements with a salary of 13,000-26,000 rubles. and 17.6% with a salary of 39,000-52,000 rubles.
- Electric locomotive driver in Russia: 89 vacancies open. For 31.5% of open vacancies, employers indicated a salary in the amount of 33,200-43,800 rubles. 27% of advertisements with a salary of 22,600-33,200 rubles. and 19.1% with a salary of 43,800-54,400 rubles.
Electric train driver
When calculating the salaries of such specialists, a time-based bonus system operates. And the salary amount consists of:
- skill level;
- number of years worked;
- working at night;
- performing overtime work;
- the amount of hours worked;
- bonuses and quarterly payments in the amount of up to 40% of salary.
In addition, he has the opportunity to be treated at the expense of Russian Railways in any medical institution.
Earnings of drivers in different cities
Jobs in Samara, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and St. Petersburg offer salaries 3-5 thousand below average. But in Krasnoyarsk, a master of this profession will earn 21 thousand rubles. higher than their average-income counterparts.
Tab. 4. Earnings of a locomotive driver by city in Russia (as of May 2021), thousand rubles
| Minimum | Average | Maximum | |
| Krasnoyarsk | 49,7 | 71 | 149,5 |
| Omsk | 40,6 | 58 | 127,7 |
| Permian | 37,1 | 57 | 115,7 |
| Moscow | 39,2 | 56 | 127,9 |
| Ufa | 39,2 | 56 | 122,2 |
| Novosibirsk | 38,5 | 55 | 117 |
| Kazan | 37,1 | 53 | 106,6 |
| Ekaterinburg | 36,4 | 52 | 120,9 |
| Krasnodar | 34,3 | 49 | 120,9 |
| Voronezh | 34,3 | 49 | 101,4 |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 33,6 | 48 | 115,7 |
| Saint Petersburg | 32,9 | 47 | 126,1 |
| Volgograd | 32,9 | 47 | 122 |
| Rostov-on-Don | 32,9 | 47 | 106,6 |
| Chelyabinsk | 32,2 | 47 | 117 |
| Samara | 31,5 | 45 | 117 |
This profession has been among the most in-demand specialties for a long time. In 1931, wage rates for machinists were set from 275 to 450 rubles. The salary of the depot manager was 300-450 rubles.
Already in 1933, the salary of a driver-mentor increased almost one and a half times (400-450 rubles).
By the end of the 1940s, an experienced 1st class driver of a mainline locomotive with good experience could earn more than a depot manager; his income was often at the level of a responsible employee of the Ministry.
How are salaries calculated?
The work of all members of locomotive crews in railway transport is paid on a time-based bonus basis. Moreover, servicing passenger and freight traffic is paid higher than work on maneuvers in these types of traffic.
Thus, the monthly tariff rate for an assistant driver in Russian Railways for passenger and freight traffic is 10.43 thousand rubles, and when working on maneuvers - 9.27 thousand rubles.
If an assistant driver has permission to drive a diesel locomotive (electric locomotive), then he must be paid an additional 10% of the time worker’s tariff rate.
In addition, when calculating the salary of an assistant driver, the following additional payments are taken into account based on the tariff rate:
- for work on holidays – 2.2%;
- for night work – 40%;
- for length of service - from 5 to 30% of the average tariff rate for the depot;
- for work in the Far North - 30%.
Also, the wages of an assistant driver include bonus payments, for example, for running passenger trains according to the schedule - 20% and fulfilling the monthly plan for locomotive performance in freight traffic - 15%.
President Putin recalled the salary increase in February
Private employers who refuse to index wages are not uncommon. They take advantage of the fact that the Labor Code of the Russian Federation does not clearly define the indexation mechanism, and also the fact that scheduled inspections most likely will not come to them, and workers, for obvious reasons, will not want to complain to the State Inspectorate.
If the employer does not index the salary
The second case, when payments must be raised, is mandatory for all organizations and enterprises, be it a private company or a budget institution. This case occurs once a year, called indexation, necessary to compensate for price increases.
For more than thirteen years, remuneration of employees of JSC Russian Railways has been made on the basis of the regulations on the corporate system of remuneration for employees of branches and structural divisions of the company and the provisions adopted on its basis for remuneration of employees of branches. During this time, there have been significant changes in the labor legislation of the Russian Federation and significant structural changes in the company. The long-term development program of JSC Russian Railways until 2025 sets a target - achieving a ratio of the level of wages of JSC Russian Railways employees to the average for the Russian Federation equal to 1.35. At the same time, for the last five years the ratio has not risen above the level of 1.3. In these conditions, in order to ensure a competitive level of wages, improve the payment mechanism and motivate the work of the company's employees, the task of developing a new regulation on the remuneration of employees of branches and structural divisions of JSC Russian Railways becomes urgent. Taking this into account, Deputy General Director of JSC Russian Railways Dmitry Shakhanov approved a roadmap defining the stages and timing of the development and implementation of a new system of remuneration for employees of branches and structural divisions of the company.
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According to the roadmap, by July 2021 the bulk of work on the development of a new wage system must be completed and the amount of the additional wage fund required for its introduction must be determined. During this period, it is planned to carry out such activities as: - checking all staffing tables, eliminating duplicate and redundant positions, assessing the compliance of positions with functionality; — assessment of the correctness of the automatic assignment of positions of managers, specialists and employees in EKASUTR and in staffing tables to the corresponding unified positions; — implementation in EKASUTR of a new tariff schedule for remuneration of workers, a comparative statement for workers for automatic calculation of wages and its comparison “before” and “after” the introduction of a new wage system; — personal assessment of managers, specialists and employees with the establishment of salaries for employees within grades, calculation of the wage fund “before” and “after” the establishment of salaries for employees based on grades; — establishing tariff rates for workers, calculating the wage fund of workers “before” and “after” the introduction of a new wage system; — analysis of proposals from branches, if necessary, finalization of the draft of a new remuneration system; — determination of the size of the additional wage fund for the introduction of a new payment system. In accordance with the Roadmap, it is planned that by November 2021 the draft of the new wage system should receive a positive motivated opinion from the primary trade union organization of Russian Railways OJSC and be prepared for consideration and approval at a meeting of the board of Russian Railways OJSC. The specific timing of the introduction of a new corporate remuneration system will depend on the company’s ability to find the additional funds necessary for this. The final stage of the roadmap is to carry out explanatory work in labor collectives. The trade union considers it appropriate to consider proposals received from company employees at all preliminary stages of the development of a new remuneration system, including those received earlier during the “Assess Your Work” campaigns, with the involvement of competent representatives of regional directorates at railway testing sites in the analysis of these proposals. representatives of the elected bodies of the relevant primary trade union organizations, and also include (by agreement) representatives of ROSPROPZHEL in the working groups for the development of the draft of a new wage system at all levels.
Indexation has been sorted out, but will there be a 13th salary in Russian Railways in 2021? As in other years, the calculation of the thirteenth salary in 2021 for railway workers will be made at the average monthly employee rates for the year. To calculate the thirteenth salary, take the amount of earnings for the year and divide by 12.
Every year, Railways recruits more than 80 thousand personnel, who expect a salary increase in Russian Railways in 2021. Just recently, railway workers staged strikes. In October 2019, a meeting between Yakunin and Putin took place, at which the president gave orders to increase wages for railway employees in 2021.
Will there be a salary increase at Russian Railways in 2021: latest news
As already noted, increasing wages for railway workers is necessary to avoid a transport collapse and due to the incredible staff turnover. In general, the salary of Russian Railways employees depends on several factors such as:
“From March 1, the wages of employees of JSC Russian Railways will be indexed by 1.3%. Employees of the company's healthcare and education institutions will receive a similar increase in March. The corresponding order was signed on February 19 by the General Director and Chairman of the Board of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov,” the newspaper wrote on Thursday.
The department for organization, remuneration and motivation of labor of Russian Railways told Gudku that the amount of indexation was determined based on the forecast of the consumer price index for the first quarter of 2021, presented by the Ministry of Economic Development. They added that the minimum wage of company employees who have fully met working time and labor standards in a month should not be lower than 12,792 rubles, that is, the minimum wage (minimum wage) in the Russian Federation from January 1, 2021.
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Russian Railways Andrei Belousov, during the final board of the company on February 19, said that this year the wages of the monopoly’s employees will be indexed by 3.7%.
“For passengers, the forecast is based on the positive trends that we see. The growth, as I said, is quite serious, but we still see certain restrictions related to the coronavirus,” Mikhailov explained.
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MOSCOW, February 8 – RIA Novosti/Prime. In 2021, against the backdrop of economic recovery, Russian Railways forecast an increase in revenue from freight and passenger transportation by 7.5% compared to the previous year - to 1.736 trillion rubles, follows from the presentation to the briefing of the company's first deputy general director Vadim Mikhailov.
“Transportation revenues of 1,736.4 billion rubles,” says the presentation of the plans, are directly linked to the prospects for economic growth of the Russian Federation, which provide for economic recovery starting in 2021,” Mikhailov commented on the slides.
The monthly salary calculation system at Russian Railways OJSC takes into account the time worked by the employee, his qualifications and position. In general, salary consists of salary, bonus and allowances. To receive a salary of 100%, a railway worker must work at least 176 hours a month; if he works less than the norm, the salary is calculated based on actual time and is partially reduced.
In accordance with the Labor legislation in force in Russia, officially employed citizens have the right to regular salary indexation. This standard has been in effect at enterprises across the country for more than five years, and Russian Railways is no exception. Since 2014, employee salaries have increased regularly:
Dynamics of salary growth in Russian Railways and plans for the future
The country's financial authorities, citing the difficult economic situation and budget deficit, suspended the wage indexation program for some areas. In particular, the restrictions affected the state apparatus and other employees receiving salaries from the budget. The management of Russian Railways does not intend to restrict personnel’s right to decent wages. At the moment, the annual indexation program is operating as normal.
The Labor Code provides for wage indexation in all groups of workers without exception. When concluding an employment contract, a clause on mandatory indexation is present. The form of a standard agreement was developed and approved by Government Decree No. 858 of August 27, 2016.
Additional bonuses
As additional bonuses and benefits, assistant drivers can count on:
- compensation for the cost of suburban railway travel from your place of residence to work and back;
- compensation for travel costs once a year on long-distance trains;
- annual paid leave - 36 calendar days;
- provision of uniforms;
- voluntary medical insurance and compensation for medical examination;
- opportunity to qualify for a preferential pension.
In other regions of Russia
Analyzing data from the Russian job market, we can conclude that finding a job as an assistant driver today is not so easy. Russian Railways' need for such workers is only 170-200 vacancies. Employers are willing to pay assistants 10.7-55.5 thousand rubles.
The highest salaries for driver assistants are in Yekaterinburg and Cherepovets – 45-55 thousand rubles. In Ruzaevka (Republic of Mordovia) they are ready to employ 25 workers at once with a salary of 40,531 rubles. In Buryatia, assistant drivers earn 35 thousand rubles, in the Volgograd region from 22.7 to 27 thousand rubles, in the Kostroma region - from 16.3 thousand rubles.
The average Russian salary for this category of workers is in the range of 22-28 thousand rubles.
Russian Railways salary indexation in 2021: when, to whom and for how much
According to the latest news, the Russian Railways company is reinstating the calculation of salaries based on the tariff principle, i.e., taking into account position and length of service. Back in 2007, the bonus for length of service was abolished, which equalized the salaries of ordinary road workers and machinists. As a result, the inevitable outflow of workers began. Therefore, increasing the amount of payments, indexing Russian Railways salaries in 2021 and introducing changes to the current company rules are a necessity. Otherwise, the country faces a collapse in the railway transportation sector.
Russian Railways employees will receive 2.9% more from March 1
The company's management has already announced that this measure is aimed at stimulating the work of employees and increasing the credibility of the railway profession. The exact date of payment has not yet been announced, but the management said that, most likely, this will happen during the issuance of the January salary. The trade union of JSC Russian Railways has been trying to solve the problem of paying the 13th salary for many years.
Legal relations between the administration and ordinary workers are regulated by a collective agreement. The last time he was signed was last 2021. This document provides for many benefits for employees, payment of various compensations and good social guarantees.
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Retirement
Machinist's assistants may hope for early retirement due to the high level of work complexity and psychological stress. Workers aged 55 may qualify for old age pension benefits. In this case, the total length of service and work in the position are taken into account. Work experience should not exceed 25 years, and the duration of special experience should not be 12.5 years.
However, due to impending changes in pension legislation, it is impossible to say exactly what awaits assistant drivers of pre-retirement age. It is quite possible that the dates for receiving a preferential pension may be postponed.
You shouldn't expect large pension benefits either. Based on government forecasts, pensions for this category of citizens will amount to 11-14 thousand rubles.
