(Nizhni Novgorod Regional Employment Centre) Economic reforms always imply changes on the labour market. This is natural and necessary, and reforms affect all spheres. A change in the profile of enterprises and restructuring are needed to make life better for everybody. Changes affect staff who are made redundant and the remaining work force. This is needed to raise staff professionalism and involve more people in the production of nonfoods and services. It should lead to a new production structure geared towards the individual, implying a new structure and quality of labour force and consequently higher wages.

During economic reforms, various changes take place on the labour market. However, staff redundancies require special attention.

Unemployment is an alarming experience for anyone. But people take it differently. Some accuse everybody else and are ashamed of the word "unemployed." This is a hopeless methods, which can only lead to a dead-end. There is only one correct action: apply all one's energies to becoming competitive on the labour market and energetically look for a new job. The requisite conditions exist, both a legal and organisational base: laws on labour and employment and the Federal Employment Service and commercial labour exchanges. The booklet we offer explains how to use these possibilities.

It can be interesting both for job seekers and people in work, as it includes the main federal and local laws on employment.

At the same time, recommendations and advice given in this booklet should be geared to legislative changes.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: THE STATE GUARANTEES YOU A JOB AND PROTECTS YOU

...Citizens enjoy the exclusive right to dispose of their talents for production and creative labour. No work coercion is allowed, excluding cases specified in the legislation. The absence of a job does not constitute grounds for calling citizens to administrative or any other account (Article 1 of the Law of the Russian Federation on Employment).

THE ADMINISTRATION (EMPLOYER) CANNOT DISMISS A WORKER OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL

- without the permission of trade unions; - pregnant women and women with children under the age of three, single mothers with children aged under 14 or with disabled children below 16 years of age, excluding cases when their enterprise is liquidated, but they should then be offered work;

- teenagers under 18 without the permission of the commission on minors at the administration of local soviets of people's deputies;

- young specialists without the permission of the institution, dispatching him to work in the first place.

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THE ADMINISTRATION (EMPLOYER) CAN TERMINATE THE LABOUR CONTRACT UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:

- during the liquidation of the enterprise and staff reductions;

- if the employee in question does not satisfy the demands of his post or job and regularly violates his duties;

- if an employee's temporary disability period lasts for more than four months;

- if an employee in question is guilty of absenteeism and drinking.

The administration (employer) should do the following in accordance with Article 402 of the Code of Labour Laws of the Russian Federation:

- notify you personally of expected staff reductions or redundancies at least two months in advance and show you the order on your dismissal, which you should sign;

- offer you new employment at this or other enterprises in your speciality;

- in the even of the liquidation (restructuring) of the enterprise, you are entitled to a severance pay equal to your monthly wage, in accordance with Article 433 of the Code of Labour Laws of the Russian Federation;

- in case of reductions, you are entitled to a severance pay equal to your average monthly wage and wage for the second month after your dismissal, with your uninterrupted service record.

If the employment service registers the fact that it has failed to find you a suitable job in two months, your enterprise should pay for the third month as well. In the even of the liquidation of an enterprise, institution or organisation, the employer's legal successor must provide employment to pregnant women, women with children under the age of three, single mothers with children below the age of 14 years or with disabled children below 16 years of age. The legal successors responsible for employment are legal entities and private individuals who inherit the property, financial and other assets of the liquidated enterprise, institution or organisation.

In the absence of legal successors, the state employment services must help in the search for work and in finding employment for the above categories of employees in accordance with the existing legislation. (Resolution of the President of the Russian Federation of July 5, 1992, "On the Compulsory Employment of Certain Categories of Employees Dismissed During the Liquidation of Enterprises, Institutions and Organisations".)

YOU HAVE BEEN DISMISSED; YOU MUST ACT

Should you look for work independently, through a commercial labour exchange or via the free assistance of a federal employment service, or the regional employment centre?

YOU HAVE DECIDED TO APPLY TO THE REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

You can apply to the state employment service, which has

centres and offices in all towns and districts of the

region. You can receive answers to all your questions at the

following telephones:

The Regional Employment Centre in Nizhni Novgorod:

44-0194, 44-0216, 44-5665, 44-1269,

44-3777, 44-2007, 44-4155, 44-6051

City Employment Centre:

44-21-84, 44-13-00

City districts:

Avtozavodsky 56-07-83, 56-79-73

Kanavinsky 44-04-60, 44-32-71

Leninsky 55-52-44, 55-22-61

Moskovsky 46-27-82, 24-03-34

Nizhegorodsky 33-32-52, 33-14-66 etc.

Any citizen aged 16 and over who lives in one of the aforementioned districts and wants to be hired in accordance with his/her abilities, education and state of health, will be considered a client of the district employment bureau. A citizen should fill in a form to be registered by the employment bureau. If he/she merely wants information on employment prospects, registration is unnecessary: he/she should simply fill in a consultation card.

All applicants to the district employment centre should produce their passport, work-record card (if they are unemployed), a document from their last place of work, indicating their average wage and certifying that they have finished upgrading courses, or, if they are looking for their first job, a certificate from their place of residence or educational establishment. If necessary (for example, jobs requiring the verification of one's educational level or skills), respective documents should be provided. Demobbed and redundant soldiers of the Armed Forces, interior and railway troops, bodies of security and the interior should produce documents confirming that they have dependants.

THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE WILL OFFER YOU A SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT.

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Article 4 of the Law of the Russian Federation on Employment says:

"Suitable employment meets the employee's professional level with due account of the level of professional training, former employment and state of health, and the job's proximity to his/her place of residence. "The maximum distance of suitable employment from the unemployed's place of residence shall be determined by the respective local Soviet of People's Deputies, with due account of the development of the public transport network in the given locality.

"In terms of first job seekers, who do not have a profession or trade, suitable employment means paid work which demands or does not demand (with due account of the age and other specific features of citizens) preliminary training, including temporary work which meets the requirements of Russia's Labour Legislation.

"Employment may not be considered suitable if it involves a change of place of residence without the citizen's consent;

working conditions do not meet labour safety regulations; the offered wage is lower than the citizen's average monthly wage at his/her last place of employment."

You may also be retrained, upgrade your skills and learn a new trade in demand in the labour market. During the period of training you will receive a stipend equalling

-- 75 per cent of the average monthly wage at your last place of employment for citizens with more than one year's work experience, but not less than the minimum wage envisaged by Russian legislation and not more than the average wage in the given region;

-- a stipend established by the state for respective educational establishments for citizens with less than one year's work experience (or none at all), but not less than the minimum wage established by legislation.

A transfer to a rural district will involve guaranteed payment of a lump-sum allowance and travelling expenses.

You can also take part in paid public works in accordance with Article 24 of the Russian Law on Employment, which states: "A short-term labour contract shall be signed with persons willing to participate in public works. Unemployed citizens who do not receive the dole (stipend) shall enjoy the priority right to sign such a contract.

"Citizens engaged in public works shall be paid for the specific amount of work done, but not lower than the amount established by the Russian legislation. Citizens engaged in public works shall be covered by labour and social insurance legislation and may also be entitled to the dole."

IF NONE OF OUR VARIANTS SUITS YOU, THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE MAY GRANT YOU UNEMPLOYMENT STATUS

In accordance with Article 3 of the Russian Law on Employment, able-bodied citizens without gainful employment or source of income, registered by the employment agency as looking for work and willing to work are qualified as unemployed in accordance with Article 3 of the Russian Law on Employment.

If you have not been employed within ten days for lack of required job openings, you may receive the dole, as of the 11th day of your registration at the employment service at the latest, right up to work placement, but not longer than 12 months. All citizens entitled to a pension from previous work experience, in accordance with the Russian Law on State Pensions, shall receive the dole for two calendar weeks more than the established 12 months for each year of work, exceeding the established work experience.

If you are made redundant due to the liquidation or other structural changes at your enterprise or organisation, register at the employment agency within two weeks of your dismissal, but are not employed for the next three months, you will receive benefits as of the first day of the expiration of this period. In this situation you should actively look for a suitable job and observe re-registration rules at the employment service at least twice a month.

YOU SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE SIZE OF YOUR DOLE

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Unemployment benefits are paid to citizens who have lost their jobs and sources of income, have been dismissed from the Armed Forces, the interior and railway troops, state security and Ministry of Interior's bodies, as of their registration at the employment service as unemployed. The dole equals

-- 75% of the average monthly wage at the last place of work during the first three months;

-- 60% over the next four months;

-- 45% later on.

However, in all cases benefits must not be inferior to the minimum wage established by the Russian legislation or superior to the region's average wage.

If an unemployed citizen has dependants who are unable to work, the size of the dole is increased by 10% per member. However, even in this case the dole must not exceed the region's average wage.

First-time job seekers and others who want to resume work after a long break (over one year), will receive unemployment benefits equal to the minimum wage established by the Russian legislation.

You should know that payment of the dole can be postponed or suspended by the employment bodies for up to three months, stopped altogether or cut if

-- a citizen has refused two suitable job offers and two such offers after completing professional training (retraining) offered by the employment service;

-- a citizen has been fired for labour discipline violations;

-- an unemployed individual received temporary employment while receiving the dole and did not notify the employment service thereof;

-- a citizen has violated re-registration rules (at least twice a month);

-- a citizen received the dole by deceiving the employment service;

-- an unemployed individual imprisoned for a criminal offence.

THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE HELPS, BUT YOU SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THAT

The dole is merely the necessary subsistence means for a period of temporary unemployment. You should make the best of it to find a new job.

A FEW HINTS FOR JOB-SEEKERS

1. Plan your job-seeking activity so that all meetings scheduled for each day are held in one area. It will save you much time and effort.

2. Never give up looking for a job. Do not miss an opportunity to learn a new trade. Do not stop your search if you have received only a hopeful promise of a job. Your employment depends on your positive attitude. To find a suitable job, you should consider an average of five to ten offers.

3. Register the results of your negotiations thoroughly. Always come to meetings at the appointed time.

4. You may be offered a job you did not expect. Think twice before rejecting it. If you are asked to wait or offered employment in a different locality, display maximum flexibility, specify all the conditions and only then make a decision.

5. If the wage offered is lower than your previous salary, do not reject the offer. Your experience, knowledge and business activity may well be appreciated within a short time and you will earn more than before.

6. Look for a job at least one hour every day.

7. Remember that the bulk of job-seekers find work thanks to their own initiative.

8. Do not forget to look through the newspapers for classified ads every day. They are carried by almost all local, departmental and factory newspapers. Do not postpone visits to personnel departments at given addresses.

9. Pay attention to information put in public places, namely ads pasted on billboards, shop windows and in transport. You may find the one you need.

10. When you talk with relatives and friends, make sure you mention that you are looking for a job and ask them if they know about any vacancies.

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