A Russian mail carrier who complained to Putin of her salary was advised to quit
A mail carrier from Tyumen, Anura Sadykova, who complained to President Vladimir Putin about her low salary, was advised to resign if she does not like her level of income, as reported by Ura.Ru. The postal employee, who receives less than four thousand rubles ($66.5 USD) each month, relayed her story to journalists.
"Previously, we used to deliver only correspondence, but the post office has become more like a store now. We are additionally forced to sell other products such as socks, panties, cookies, and toys, and if we do, we earn a percentage. After my question to Putin, the management told me to quit if I do not like my salary. Otherwise, I should load the bag with goods and go sell," Anura Sadykova said.
According to her, the post office management reacted negatively to the question she asked on Direct Line with Putin broadcast.
"They [the management] called me and told me that I should have contacted them first, submitted an application, and only after that, and only if they had allowed, could I ask Putin a question. They also said I should not have spoken about low wages and relay exact numbers," the woman explained.
The mail carrier said that the money she earns is enough only to pay for electricity, gas, water, and garbage disposal. "There's nothing left for anything else. I live, by force of habit. I buy a loaf of bread, and that is my weekly supply. All the rest I gather in my vegetable garden – I have a little farm," she said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Russian Post considers this salary to be sufficient. "Taking into consideration the low workload, a number of post offices work on a shortened schedule. Employees of these post offices, including mail carriers, work for fractional rates of salary, which can range from 0.2 to 0.8 of a basic rate. Compensation for labor in these cases is made in accordance with part 2 of Article 93 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, that is, in proportion to the time worked," says the enterprise’s official response, cited by Mir24 TV channel.
Direct Line with President Putin took place on June 15th. The anchorwoman read the question which asked when the mail carriers’ salaries would be increased. "We receive 3,600. How are we supposed to survive?" Vladimir Putin was asked. Later it was discovered that the author of this question was an resident of Ravnets (Tyumen region), who had been working at the post office for 20 years. In communicating with journalists, she also clarified that her earnings, including premium, are about 3,900 rubles (about $66 USD) a month, of which the salary is 3,600 rubles (about $63 USD).