Why aren't decent salaries paid? Opinions are divided, but there are options for resolving the issue

Article I asked a friend of the owner of the company: why don't you pay decent salaries to employees? The answer surprised turned out to be resonant for readers. For the majority, this is an important and even sore point. But there were also those who did not understand the meaning that I wanted to convey. More has been written for today 8300 comments, most of which I have read and answered some of them. First, I will briefly describe what points of view the readers are divided into, and at the end of the article I will try to write options for resolving the issue.

1. Entrepreneurs themselves, directors (top managers) and those who are satisfied with everything, expressed a lack of understanding of my indignation. There were many suggestions and questions like this: open your own business and try to pay big salaries to employees. Big salaries have big taxes. Not every business will incur large salary costs. Many business owners have confirmed that people worked the same way when raising salaries. Or their effectiveness increased temporarily.

Yes, there are employees who will never work better, if not give incentives. You need to be a bit of a psychologist to see such. But they are people too. They need to find a place, direct them to where their effectiveness will be optimal.

I partially agree with the tax claims. Before 48% of the salary - This is a substantial amount, especially if the FZP itself occupies a large part of the company's profit. And many are unable to pay above average, because business on the brink of profitability. Either it was that way from the beginning, or it slipped to that level due to changes in the market.

I will say this: opening such a business or pulling it further is the business of each entrepreneur personally. Yes, it is difficult to change something in your brainchild. Or even close the direction. But at the request of the employees themselves, taxes are optimized. Competent accountants and managers know how to do this. Rent of offices, etc. areas - too. There are employees who work equally effectively both remotely and in the office.

But in those companies where there is huge profitability, but low salaries, the situation is incomprehensible. They are guided by the average level of salaries in the region. But they are trying in every possible way to reduce it. Less salary means more profit.

Indeed, even in the industries extracting natural resources, migrant workers from other countries with low wages are working en masse. And, after all, all other industries and directions in the labor market are equal to them. There are artels that earn up to $ 500 thousand / shift, mining tens of kilograms of precious metals per day. But even there the patches remained at the level of 10 years ago. While the dollar rate has grown, the quotes of precious metals themselves - too.

Another interesting thought:

In the comments, they wrote dozens of times that business is making a profit by all legal means. If a person is ready to get a job for you for this money - why should he pay more? Market law.

The most important thing that such commentators do not understand (whether they are directors or owners, founders) is that they are creating poverty in the country with low wages. Keeping employees and workers on the brink of existence. After all, what is 50-80 thousand rubles / month? on watch 10 years ago and now? You will pay part of this amount for food. And there you will leave part of your health.

And what is a salary of 15-20 thousand? RUB / month seller in a huge hypermarket with almost billions of dollars in turnover and margins higher than manufacturers? This is at least greed or pulling financial indicators at any cost by their managers. Apparently, the owners are the same. Many chains are owned by Western companies, so it comes as no surprise. Networks are also pumping money out of the regions.

Raw materials companies do not care about people: they are poor or rich. They sell raw materials to the foreign market, abroad. But even inside the country, world prices are kept. And when prices go down, they don’t think about lowering prices (like fuel). But the medium and small business strategically should not care. The poorer the population, the more difficult it is to sell the goods and services they produce. To increase consumer demand, they are forced to reduce the quality of the product and its price. Therefore, in each city, the number of discounters (shops for rogue - as they call them) is growing like mushrooms. And over time, the situation will only get worse.

The state has distanced itself from the regulation of this issue. There is a minimum wage and this is the lower bar, which can also be bypassed by registering an employee for half the rate.

Another common comment: I do not like the salary - open your own business! And what, everyone is capable of creating it, or is there a need for this, so that all are entrepreneurs with hired employees? In most cases, entrepreneurs compete with each other, pulling the market over to themselves. I find it ridiculous to recommend everyone to go start their own business. If only you are the author of a unique idea or development. But the technological development of society does not allow us to abandon ordinary workers.

In the comments, the question was asked more than once: because in the west - also capitalism! But they appreciate the working person and even take care of the unemployed with dignity. Why is it like this with us?

My answer is this: in the west, to a greater extent, the economy of domestic consumption. The goods produced there are difficult to sell to the poor. Then profits and output will fall and many capitalists will go bankrupt. They need to support customer demand. And in our country, most of the oligarchs are resource tycoons. Selling raw materials to the west. And how many people there are and what their level of prosperity is - they do not care much. If there are not enough workers, guest workers will be brought in, yes, even from India or Africa. Therefore, each underpaid ruble is a profit in their pocket. Here and they have a watch. In their heads - to make the most of the profit and go to the west for permanent residence.

So can I pay big salaries as an entrepreneur? In the beginning, you need to rely only on your own strength. For this, a NAP form (self-employed) is sufficient. And over a certain turnover - IP. Hiring someone is already human exploitation and social responsibility. I am not allowed by my moral principles to exploit people. Even ask relatives about something. I have been in the shoes of an exploited wage earner for many years. If you work with someone, then as partners, distributing responsibilities and profits. But, most likely, I will not be an entrepreneur in this capacity. I am glad that I am my own boss, self-employed.

Interesting historical fact:

2. The second (main) part of the comments expressed solidarity and agreed with the thoughts in the article. Because reader in Yandex. Zen is mostly 35+, then many remember the socialist times and they have something to compare with. Yes, then there was also the exploitation of the working class. But the person felt more secure. It was possible to get a job with a decent salary (especially for a certified specialist) in any organization or plant.

Most of the commentators are against the modern capitalist system. Not against the government (its change will not solve anything). Yes, we are full of disguised lawlessness when there is no impact on the employer in the area of ​​wages. It is especially difficult for people of pre-retirement age. People in this age group have a demand for social justice. When the difference in salaries between the director and employees should be 3-5 times, but not tens or hundreds of times. They say that different work is valued in different ways. But not with the same difference! Phrases about capitalism:

I am not calling for a return to socialism. This is already impossible. But since by their nature most people strive for prosperity, comfort, the minimum level should be provided in the social environment. Below a certain line, a person degrades. Above, from an overabundance of benefits, often without a goal or ideology - too.

In the comments, a lot of examples were given about injustice and deception of employees. There is no point in complaining about such employers. The prosecutor's office finds no violations with rare exceptions. And the employee automatically loses his job. What to do?

3. In the West, especially in Europe, trade unions are very strong. They were also strong during the Soviet era. But now, if they exist, they are under the control of employers and do not represent a force that can withstand the harsh conditions of exploitation of workers. Strikes of almost entire industries are not uncommon in the West. There, it quickly sobering up big business owners. None of them wants to bear losses from downtime of the industry, penalties. It is easier to negotiate and pay workers decent wages.

How to form trade unions? Perhaps from scratch. Uniting at first 3-5 people, discussing issues and developing opinions that everyone wants. There are such associations in Sweden, they are called “The Circle of the Future”. There should be transparent cells with delegates so that the activists are in full view of everyone. Then this movement will be impossible to intercept.

Do I need to contact the government with proposals? It is necessary, but so far there will be little sense in this. The government cannot even return businesses and factories from Western offshore companies. And they are unlikely to deal with this issue. I understand that they are afraid of offending the oligarchs and causing them disfavor. The months-long protests in Khabarovsk are proof of this. Those who know will understand what it was.

How can you convey your opinion to the state? Petitions, collection of signatures, collective appeals to authorities through websites. Working with parties in the State Duma. There are many ways. And this is also work.

Sooner or later you will have to come to a solution to this issue. The redistribution of profits towards workers will have to be done. No jobs created, factories built will not save the situation if the savings on PPP continue at the same rate. It is necessary to change the minimum wage towards the norms of production and payment for what was produced (as was the case in the USSR) or the minimum hourly wage. In the west, it is $ 7-8 / hour.

Inflation, price increases, and wages remain in place. For 10 years, the real purchasing power of the frozen wages has fallen by 2 times (with real inflation of 10% per year). And taking into account interest on interest - almost 2.6 times. And do not write that effective sales managers are doing well. This is only a small part of the specialists.

These are all perspectives or theory. What to do now for someone who does not agree with their level of salary, income? Look for opportunities. Is always. Grab every chance. Whether it is an additional income or a career, a job change or your own business. I followed this path (like the thought in the picture) and do not regret:

Russia is perhaps one of the few countries where a person who works by hand is the poorest person.

Consider this phrase:

All this is written here - flowers in comparison with the conclusion from a possible situation, which is even scary to think about.

Think, if suddenly there is a military conflict with the forces of the NATO bloc, then with general mobilization, will the workers who have been oppressed all their lives go to defend this system? It will probably be paid for and well. But will they defend their homeland or will they not see what future they need to participate in this?

Recently, patriotism has been on the rise. It is good when people value and love their homeland. But when a handful of its citizens have determined the level of salaries of the rest (and in fact, at what level of prosperity they live), all patriotism disappears here.

The final conclusion I have is this: if everything continues like this, then our country will turn into a disunited society with a handful of the rich and the general mass of the poor and even beggars who hate each other. Isn't this what the external enemies of our country have always been trying to achieve? Tear it apart from the inside, because she could never be defeated openly.

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