Author: Ivan Preobrazhensky
Billionaire Oleg Deripaska, a close friend of Boris Yeltsin's family, who retained his capital under Vladimir Putin, came up with an unexpected initiative at first glance, after the president called on businessmen to help support the war against Ukraine. The proposal: to introduce a 12-hour workday and a six-day workweek to save the economy.
The idea even received approval - for example, from the former head of “Rospotrebnadzor“ (Consumer Protection Service – ed.) Gennady Onishchenko, who immediately proposed rewriting labor legislation. Is this a new Russian reality or the crazy idea of a billionaire who is trying to redeem himself from having to pay for the war through this initiative?
Back to serfdom
In the second half of the 19th century, after the abolition of serfdom in Russia and before the appearance of the first semblance of labor legislation, the actively developing Russian capitalist industry mercilessly exploited workers. This is probably what is written in Soviet textbooks, but it is nevertheless true. Then the working day in factories was on average 12-14 hours, i.e. approximately as much as Deripaska is proposing now. And they worked on Saturdays.
The first restriction within the framework of the first timid reforms was introduced by Tsar Nicholas II – in 1897, the length of the working day was limited by law to 11.5 hours, and on Saturdays (as for women and children on weekdays) - to ten hours. It turns out that even the Russian autocracy would consider Deripaska's proposals, if not wild, then at least excessive.
In Soviet Russia, the eight-hour working day was introduced by decree. And even during the Great Patriotic War, there were only formally mandatory overtime hours. The practice in enterprises and collective farms was different, but now it is more about formalities.
However, the labor legislation after 2022 allows for overtime (unpaid) additional work and introduces other similar "innovations" - it is no secret that military repair plants have long operated on a 24-hour schedule. But now, apparently, the idea is to go back another century - and labor relations to reach the level of the 19th century, which is probably the dream of many Russian businessmen. They obviously no longer need healthy, free and prosperous employees - they want to squeeze them out like mushrooms, which is why they are annoyed by the remnants of the Soviet labor code.
"Everything for the front, everything for victory"
It is hardly a coincidence that Deripaska announced his ideas immediately after Vladimir Putin's meeting with representatives of the largest Russian businesses, at which entrepreneurs were asked to voluntarily, or rather, forcibly, give money for the war. The authorities say that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get money out of the population, small and medium-sized businesses are already on the verge of bankruptcy, and it is time to take it from the “big”. And the billionaire, in response to this, reminds that not all possibilities have been exhausted yet, since the war is going on and the population can be mobilized for work under the old slogan “Everything for the front, everything for victory“.
At the same time, Deripaska's statement did not cause such great indignation on social networks that it was called mass and it was claimed that the idea will not pass. The hours may not be 12, but 10, the days may not be six, but five and a half – Russian propagandists know how to gradually impose such counter-reforms.
Need for mobilization in the rear too
Some commentators even say that if this had not been the initiative of the dubious Deripaska, and Vladimir Putin himself had called for work from sunrise to sunset and had explained that this was necessary, but not for the incomprehensible growth of the economy, but for victory - the population would have supported him. So if this is an attempt to sound out public opinion, it turns out to be successful. The idea has been planted and will gradually begin to "germinate".
Because waging war in the conditions of a rapidly weakening economy does not leave many alternatives for the Russian government. If the war is going to last a long time, giving up the idea of a quick truce, there will be a need for mobilization not only in the army, but also in the rear.