Companies employing women in rural areas in Russia will face new requirements when amendments to the Labor Code enter into force on 23 November 20191.
Employers will be required to guarantee:
a. a reduced working week of no more than 36 hours, with the same salary as for a full-time working week.
b. a pay increase for jobs where the working day is divided into parts. It will be illegal to reduce the amount of increased remuneration established on the date the law enters into force. Previously, these benefits were established by an old Soviet decree2. However, they were not always enforced.
There is no uniform legal definition of a rural area, and the status of the territory where women work should be checked based on regional legislation. As a rule, all territories outside cities and urban settlements are considered rural.
Violation of the new standards by employers may result in administrative fines of up to RUB 50,000 for legal entities, and up to RUB 5,000 for officials. For repeated violations, the fine will be up to RUB 70,000 for a legal entity and up to RUB 20,000 for officials, and officials may also be disqualified for a period of one to three years.
Employers operating in rural areas are advised to ensure that they are in compliance with the new requirements and to allocate funding for implementation costs.
