Press Release, 17.04.2020

Yabloko municipal deputies of the Ryazan region appealed to Governor Nikolai Lyubimov, Ivan Panchenko, regional Public Prosecutor, and Igor Grekov, Vice Governor and head of the coronavirus task force, in connection with the forced collection of money from state employees to fight against coronavirus. Deputies Konstantin Smirnov and Anatoly Kivva insist on an immediate cessation of pressure on state employees and forced collection of money. Yabloko deputies demand to punish those responsible for such a decision.

“On the pretext of combating coronavirus, kindergarten teachers and school teachers of schools in Ryazan were sent application forms for refusing their one-day earnings in favour of medical workers. The uniform text of the application letter runs as follows, “I ask you to keep one-day earnings from my salary for April 2020 to assist medical workers”. The heads of the institution, on instructions from the administration, force employees to hand the applications at work, violating the self-isolation regime,” Yabloko deputies note.

Smirnov and Kivva also indicate that the salary of these people is less than or slightly more than 20,000 roubles and that such scarce salaries obviously cannot be a source of financing medical needs. The district administration is not only trying to solve problems at the expense of the most unprotected, but, by doing this by force, pits different professional strata of state employees among themselves, creating social tension. According to Yabloko deputies, at present the authorities are collecting such letters signed by teachers, and those who refuse to sign and hand in such a letter are under pressure.

“Head of the Ryazan district administration, Natalya Zhuneva, commenting on the situation on the website of RZN.info on April 16, admitted that they sent out a form of the letter to all state employees allegedly at their own request, which sounds absurd. Complaints of state employees in the media suggest the opposite,” the deputies indicate in their appeal.

“We, the deputies of the municipalities of the Ryazan region from the Yabloko party, are asking you to immediately intervene in the situation, stop pressure on state employees and stop the forced collection of money, and punish those responsible for this scam,” runs the appeal.