It’s better to earn money for old age in Chukotka
The income gap exists not only between rich and poor Russians, but even among pensioners living in different regions of the country. According to the Social Fund, this difference in the third quarter of this year is no less than 23 thousand rubles.
The largest old-age payments are assigned in Chukotka – on average almost 40 thousand rubles per month. And the smallest are in Kabardino-Balkaria – 17 thousand. As you can see, the difference is 23 thousand – Moreover the average pension in Russia is 21.8 thousand rubles.
To the “magnificent five” regions with the highest average pension payments, in addition to Chukotka, included the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (34.8 thousand rubles), the Magadan region (34 thousand), Kamchatka (33.6) and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug – 32.7 thousand rubles. In general, in our country it is better to earn pensions “in the north.” And “in the south” you won't get much. Veterans with low pensions live in Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kalmykia and Crimea. Here, the average monthly payments range from 17.3 to 18.7 thousand rubles.
By and large, there is no need to envy the old people of Chukotka. As you know, the cost of food there is very high, because this is not the Krasnodar region and there are no black soils there. Well, we’re not talking about harsh climatic conditions at all.
In general, they (as well as residents of other northern territories of the country) more than deserve the notorious northern allowances and benefits.
Russians are asking themselves: for what kind of merit are Muscovites paid increased pensions? The capital does not suffer from typhoons or snow drifts. It has a modern social infrastructure. And the pension here is much higher than, say, in neighboring Ryazan.
Even those residents of the Moscow region who have completed their work experience in Moscow do not have a Moscow pension. But this is the merit of the capital’s authorities, who direct a significant part of the city treasury’s revenues to social needs, including – pension supplements.
We ask former Deputy Minister of Labor of the Russian Federation, trade unionist Pavel Kudyukin about the vicissitudes of pension provision for Russians.
— The problem is that the pension – it is a derivative of wages. Chukotka is one of the most highly profitable regions. And the republics of the North Caucasus, for example, are depressed, with officially low incomes and, accordingly, salaries. There is a direct dependence on insurance contributions to the Social Fund.
— To do this, it is necessary to invest in the economic development of lagging subjects of the Federation. And as even world experience shows, this is a very difficult task. Salaries will be equalized – the differentiation of pension provision will also decrease.
— Yes, in practice they have changed little. Both in terms of bonuses and preferential retirement periods. Of course, residents of those territories are actively trying to move to other, warmer lands in their old age. But this is not always possible. If you sell your apartment somewhere in Vorkuta, it is not a fact that you will buy something decent with the proceeds in the Krasnodar Territory or even in central Russia.
Norilsk has a special corporate resettlement program; some companies subsidize the construction of housing for their employees in “warm regions.” This is part of their social policy. But not all enterprises can afford such a practice.
— As for Chukotka, I’m not sure that their real pension is much higher or even simply higher than that of residents of Russia. Products and goods there are very expensive, this is due to the problems of northern delivery. They even bring fuel there, since there is none of our own there. Even on Sakhalin, where climatic conditions are much better, the cost of food is 1.5-2 times higher than in Moscow.
Regional supplements to pensions depend on the budgetary capabilities of the region. There are such opportunities in the capital. If a city dweller has lived permanently in Moscow for at least 10 years and receives a pension below the Moscow subsistence level, he receives an additional payment up to this very minimum wage. In some regions there are also regional surcharges, although they are significantly lower, because the cost of living there is lower than in Moscow.