Vitaly Lauk, the CEO of Uralkali (a part of Uralchem Group) (the Company) and Pavel Kuzmin, the chairman of the Kaliyschik Trade Union, signed a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement applies to employees and veterans of the Company and also provides certain benefits for employees’ families.

The new document retained — and in some cases expanded — all of the previous benefits and social guarantees. In particular, one-time childbirth allowances were increased, and voluntary and mandatory insurance programmes were extended, employees will continue to have up to 70% of their catering expenses reimbursed, and free commuting to and from work will remain in place in Berezniki and Solikamsk.

Uralkali also provides resort and healthcare facilities for its employees, as well as summer camps for employees’ children in the Perm Region and near the Black Sea.

Also continued will be a housing programme, whereby Uralkali covers mortgage interest payments for in-demand specialists. To date, eight multi-family houses with 730 flats in total have been built in Berezniki and Solikamsk for employees of the Company.

The Company continues and develops a range of social and sports facilities including a health and recreation centre, a children’s health camp, a sports centre, a ski base, a swimming pool, a recreational centre, and a multi-functional centre of martial arts. Uralkali also compensates employees’ membership in sports clubs and gear rental costs.

Each year, Uralkali implements a salary indexation scheme, provides financial assistance to labour veterans as part of its Care and Attention programmes, and also offers a number of other benefits and social guarantees.

Traditionally, collective bargaining agreements between Uralkali and the trade unions contain health & safety provisions to protect the lives and health of employees.

Reference

Last year, Uralkali allocated over RUB 937 million for social programmes under the collective bargaining agreement, including over RUB 124 million for medical services provided under voluntary and mandatory health insurance; over RUB 121 million for resorts and summer camps for employees and their children; over RUB 259 million for meal allowances; over RUB 299 million for employee transportation to and from work; around RUB 61 million for housing improvements; and over RUB 71 million for the support provided to the non-governmental organisation of Uralkali’s war and labour veterans.

Uralkali (www.uralkali.com) is one of the world’s largest potash producers and exporters. The Company’s assets consist of 5 mines and 7 ore treatment plants in the towns of Berezniki and Solikamsk (Perm Region, Russia). Uralkali employs more than 13,300 people in the main production unit.