Guarantees and benefits confirmed: Nizhnekamskneftekhim signs new collective agreement

In 2016, the company sent over 1bn rubles to meet its social obligations

Average salary of 45,000 rubles, 870 families moved to new apartments, free delivery to work and home, medical service, medicinal and prophylactic food and loans to young families. It is a small part of social benefits that Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC workers got in 2016 within the scope of a collective agreement, which is annually signed in the enterprise. It is the key tool that regulates relations between workers and the administration of the joint-stock company. These days Nizhnekamskneftekhim has been the first company among petrochemical enterprises of the republic to sign a socially important document for 2017. A correspondent of Realnoe Vremya visited the conference of the working collective.

Apartments for 874 NKNKH workers's families

2016 became a year of big purchases for Angelina Starkova and her family – her husband and two children. Angelina has been working at Nizhnekamskneftekhim for over 15 years of which 10 she spent in the queue to purchase a house. In 2015, according to an agreement with the State Housing Fund, TAIF Group of Companies started to actively construct apartments for workers of Nizhnekamsk enterprises that are part of it: 37 residential apartment blocks will be erected in the 47 th and 49th mini-districts of the city within several years.

37 residential apartment blocks will be erected in the 47 th and 49th mini-districts of the city within several years

New residents housed the first prepared new apartments as early as 2015. Last year, another 874 families of Nizhnekamskneftekhim workers improved their living conditions. 591 of them did it via an additional housing programme of TAIF Group of Companies and other 283 families – via social loan and industrial complex development programmes. The Starkovs were among the first group. As Angelina says, the terms that the company offers to purchase an apartment on are quite favourable: ''No bank in the city offers so low loan interest rates. In addition, payment conditions doesn't affect the family budget much.''

According to the data mentioned during the conference, the company granted 911 loans at 250 million rubles for the initial payment. And 331 workers got a discount in accordance with a relaxation regulation equal to 8,5 million rubles. And the total discount for 94 workers on social loan agreements was 2,4m rubles.

What is more, the Starkovs got a zero-interest loan for young families during their work in the enterprise. They regularly take advantage and have a rest in a health resort of the company – Korabelnaya Roscha health centre and Dubravushka leisure base or Yunost health camp in summer. They pay just a small part of the total price of the tour. The enterprise pays the lion's share of costs.

According to a document kept in the company's archive, the tradition to sign a bilateral agreement between the administration and workers at NKNKH was founded almost 50 years ago. It is the first collective agreement that was signed in 1968 between the directorate of the former Nizhnekamsk Chemical Plant in the person of Nikolai Lemaev and workers whose number was less than 1,000 people.

Subdivisions of the enterprise discussed the realisation of the collective agreement for 2016 in December. At the general conference, petrochemists needed to draw conclusions and sign a new agreement. Over 300 delegates who are representatives of NKNKH workers of thousands of people, director general of the company Azat Bikmurzin, chairman of Labour Union Adip Khairullin, head of the Nizhnekamsk Municipal District Aidar Metshin and head of the Tatarstan Regional Organisation of the Russian Labour Union of Chemists Tatiana Levagina participated in it.

Production grow as guarantee of social benefits

Despite economic and geopolitical risks in both the country and abroad, head of Nizhnekamskneftekhim Azat Bikmurzin noted in his report that the company managed to increase production volumes and sales having got a revenue of 153bn rubles. The company's volume index made up 102% and share of export in the total volume of sales was about 48%. Drawing preliminary conclusions of 2016 in front of the workers of the company, Azat Bikmurzon emphasised the contribution of every subdivision of the enterprises in the common success. Both sides of the agreement – administration of the company and its collective – completely meet their obligations. As a result, the volume of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's production sales grows together with the enterprise's profit.

A new long-term agreement on delivery of butyl rubbers was signed between Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Michelin

In 2016, the group of rubber plants increased their production by 4% and made 665,000 tonnes of synthetic rubbers in total. 65% of them were sold to big foreign consumers on long-term contracts. In addition, ''a new long-term agreement on delivery of butyl rubbers was signed between Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Michelin. Negotiations with all biggest synthetic rubber consumers were held. As a result, sales of synthetic rubber will increase next year,'' Azat Bikmurzin told.

As for plastic production, according to the data of the report, in 2016, NKNKH sold about 700,000 tonnes of polyethylene and polystyrene. Diversification and a 40% improvement of sale efficiency taking place in Plastic Plant allowed to increase the sale of lineal LD polyethylene. At the same time, the plant not only produces its range of polymers but also actively creates and masters new types. Last year, having got positive opinions from consumers after tests, the company started to sell new bimodal types of polyethylene in the market. What is more, they also mastered rotomolding polyethylene in the domestic plastic market: consumers already got over 2,000 tonnes of this polyethylene, which enables NKNKH to account for 22% of the niche of the Russian ethylene polymer market.

Growing financial indicators of the enterprise are becoming a foundation for meeting all obligations of the company's administration mentioned in the collective agreement. NKNKH renewed a payment of award at the end of the year, which began in 2011 – the so-called 13 th salary. As Azat Bikmurzin noted, ''award payment terms will be discussed with the head company's administration in the short run after specified calculations. They will be certainly paid according to the acting regulation''.

Apart from it, last year, about 200m rubles were sent to Spasenie company to perform a medical examination and treat workers of the company. Salary was given on time. It made up 45 rubles on average. Almost 4,000 tour tickets were allocated for treatment in health resorts, veterans got 510 tour tickets and children of the company received additional 570 tickets. Over 1,600 kids of the company workers spent their summer holidays in Yunost health camp and Olimpiyets sports camp. There were spent over 119m rubles on medicinal and prophylactic food for employees who have harmful working conditions. Young families got 20m rubles to purchase basic goods and as a material aid if they had a baby. The sum of different payments on calendar dates, retirement, payments to workers and pensioners who celebrate jubilees and monthly non-government pensions were 340m rubles.

In general, implementation of all clauses of the 2016 collective agreement surpassed 1bn rubles in monetary terms. So Nizhnekamskneftekhim completely met all social obligations mentioned in the document.

In general, implementation of all clauses of the 2016 collective agreement surpassed 1bn rubles in monetary terms

Bikmurzin noted that 2017 was an especial year for Nizhnekamskneftekhim – it will celebrate its birthday in July. The first good at Nizhnekamskneftekhim was produced 50 years ago. He expressed his certainty that despite different challenges of the macro economy analysts are speaking about, ''the professionalism and experience of the company's collective, ability to quickly and accurately react to external changes will allow to handle all tasks and not only maintain the cemented positions in the market but also increase capacities of the existing factories, augment the product range, which will enable to conserve the high level of social and legal guarantees''.

From medical service to mass sport

The current collective agreement of Nizhnekamskneftekhim has tens of clauses that guarantee a worker will have different social benefits and guarantees. At the same time, one in 16,000 employees working in the enterprise used benefits of this document to some extent during the year. Chairman of Labour Union Adip Khairullin reported on the social support of NKNKH workers by Labour Union. He stressed that United Labour Union of Nizhnekamskneftekhim is ''one of the biggest labour unions in Tatarstan and greatest in the labour union movement in the sector in Russia'': over 30,500 people are its members. They are both NKNKH employees and workers of its subsidiary companies.

United Labour Union of Nizhnekamskneftekhim is ''one of the biggest labour unions in Tatarstan and greatest in the labour union movement in the sector in Russia''

As the chairman of Labour Union noted in his report, medical service offered to workers of the petrochemical giant plays an important role in regulation of the agreement. The administration, Labour Union Committee, Spasenie health insurance company constantly work to improve medical service quality. For this, a single chain of medical treatment was created: health post – polyclinic – hospital – rehabilitation in Korabelnaya Roscha health centre. Medical service for petrochemists has been offered as a combination of Compulsory Health Insurance and Optional Health Insurance since January 2015.

In general, about 24m rubles were expended for health and holiday of Labour Union members and their families during 2016; 700,000 rubles were sent to finance health establishments; 6,4m rubles were given for financial support of Labour Union members; 3,1m rubles went to the work with the young; about 2m rubles were spent on education and advanced training of 2,500 of NKNKH workers; 10m rubles – to organise and hold mass cultural events; 5,25m rubles – to develop sport among kids and workers, purchase sports equipment, organise mass sports events.

An entire clause of the collective agreement is about social protection of the young: zero-interest loan, payment of dislocation allowance after their service in armed forces, payment of educational leave and other benefits. Aside from the financial support, the young actively participates in the cultural, sports and production life. Many informative, educational and image events like forums, congresses, brain rings, KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive People), training seminars are held during the ear. About 30 skill competitions in major professions are organised every year. NKNKH has a search party to inculcate military and patriotic education in the young. ''Nizhnekamskneftekhim is an active participant of all-Russian events dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and Heritage patriotic club that about 150 kids attend. There is a youth organisation called Forpost. The team of experts among petrochemists and KVN team are constant winners of municipal, regional and all-Russian contests.

Medical service offered to workers of the petrochemical giant plays an important role in regulation of the agreement

Charity is a distinctive feature of the Nizhnekamsk petrochemists. They support the needy on Old People's Day and during the decade of the disabled. Petrochemists participate in campaigns that help to prepare kids for school, cook for soldiers and aid the Mendeleyevsk special school and Sheremetyevo settlement.

Sport and healthy lifestyle are also among priorities at NKNKH: mass sport develops not only among workers but also among kids. Many sports, physical and recreational events take place during the year. Different sports competitions and events always gather a great number of company workers. The enterprise's athletes are regular participants of municipal and regional competitions.

As Adip Khairullin stressed from the rostrum, on NKNKH director general's initiative, it was decided to organise a competition for workers of the chemical sector of the republic at Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC in 2017 when the enterprise celebrates its jubilee.

''The point of not only growth but also stability of Nizhnekamsk''

Head of the regional Labour Union of Chemists Tatiana Levagina also noted the role and importance of the collective agreement signed at Nizhnekamskneftekhim: ''Your collective agreement is the best in Tatarstan, it is a repeated winner of a competition organised by the Federation of Labour Union of Tatarstan. Your collective agreement represents and defends the honour of the sector and the regional labour union''. As she emphasised, NKNKH is the first Tatarstan enterprise that has been signing the socially important document since 2005.

As Tatyana Levagina emphasised, NKNKH is the first Tatarstan enterprise that has been signing the socially important document since 2005

According to Levagina's assessment, the level of wages of the Nizhnekamsk petrochemical workers (almost 45,000 rubles) is one of the highest among the enterprises of petrochemical industry today. For comparison, the average wage in the industry for 11 months is 40,400 rubles, which is a quarter higher than the average wage in the Republic. At Kazan synthetic rubber plant – 24,000 rubles, Khimzavod named after Karpov – 25,500 rubles, Tatkhimfarmpreparaty – 28,400 rubles, KVART – 29,500 rubles, Kazanorgsintez – 40,700 rubles, Ammonia – 50,000 rubles.

The fulfilment of social obligations to the staff at Nizhnekamskneftekhim is successfully combined with the leading role in the life of the city and the district. In 2016, the company with the support of management TAIF within the framework of the preparation for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Nizhnekamsk allocated on reconstruction of the embankment of the Kama river 90 million rubles. In addition, about 120 million rubles were invested in reconstruction of roads leading from the industrial zone to the city.

We conducted the events dedicated to the anniversary of the city jointly with industrial enterprises of the city, where the flagship is, of course, our main town — and budget-forming enterprise — Nizhnekamskneftekhim

At the conference, the head of the Nizhnekamsk Munisipal District Aidar Metshin highlighted the company's contribution to the development of the city, ''We conducted the events dedicated to the anniversary of the city jointly with industrial enterprises of the city, where the flagship is, of course, our main town — and budget-forming enterprise — Nizhnekamskneftekhim.''

Nizhnekamskneftekhim is one of the largest budget forming enterprises of the city and the Republic. The amount of payments in the first nine months allocated to the Republican budget amounted to almost 6.8 billion rubles, the City Treasury during this period received almost 500 million rubles, or 27.2% of total tax revenues.

According to Mayor of Nizhnekamsk Aidar Metshin, the signing of the collective agreement is socially important not only for workers, but the entire city, ''The company continues to be the flagship of the petrochemical industry and it is the point of not only growth but also stability, and, of course, development of our economy. Without it there cannot be social development.''

After all speeches, Director General of Nizhnekamskneftekhim and the mayor of the city presented the state awards of the Republic to two employees of the plant for the production of ethylene oxide — an operator Adgat Valyeyev and the director of the plant Vyacheslav Krasnov.

The delegates of the conference unanimously decided that the collective agreement for 2016 has been one hundred percent fulfilled and should be used as the basis document for the coming 12 months

As the result, as the delegates of the conference unanimously decided, the collective agreement for 2016 has been one hundred percent fulfilled and should be used as the basis document for the coming 12 months. After that, the approved document was approved with the signatures of Director General of Nizhnekamskneftehim Azat Bikmurzin — on behalf of the administration, and of the trade union committee chairperson Adip Khairullin, on behalf of the workforce.

The document has already entered into force and it will regulate the relationship between company management and employees during the year.

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By Angelina Panchenko. Photo: Artyom Ryabov