Maternity Leave and Benefits in Russia

Maternity leave normally given under Russia labour law is 140 days at 100 percent of the salary – 70 days before the birth and 70 days after. This can increase to 194 days in the event of multiple pregnancies or complications – 84 days before the birth and 110 days after it for multiple births (such as twins or triplets) or 86 days after the birth if there are any complications.

The minimum maternity benefit should be 100 percent of the legal minimum wage up to a legal maximum of 40 hours if in full-time employment, while the total claimed should not be more than R.34,583. For a period of 18 months after the birth, the total payable (выплата) can be 40 percent of the salary.

Employees have the right to return to work during the full period of paid or unpaid leave and it is possible to extend maternity leave to a maximum of three years without losing a job.

Maternity leave and benefits are the responsibility of the Social Insurance Fund (Фонд Социального Страхования Российской Федерации).

If a foreign national is employed on a contract that includes conditions different to standard Russian labour law, all the conditions should be checked and understood when signing.

Health System in Russia

Information on the healthcare system in Russia, from seeking medical treatment to getting covered for health insurance…

Basic medical care, including emergency services, is provided free to every person in the country. The quality of public healthcare is lower than in most advanced countries and English-speaking doctors are not often available, but in the largest cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg, there are plenty of private options.

Foreign nationals visiting Russia or staying temporarily in the country may only have access to public healthcare if there is a reciprocal agreement between the country of origin and Russia. This is mainly only the case for UK citizens, who are entitled to free, limited medical treatment in state hospitals as part of a reciprocal agreement between the two countries. In other cases, private travel insurance needs to be arranged before travelling.

Expats (эмигранты) living in Russia with a residency permit(временная прописка) are eligible for the same public healthcare as a Russian citizen. However, it is common practice for expats to visit private clinics(частные клиники) and hospitals for check-ups(обследование), routine healthcare(обычный осмотр) and dental care, and only use public services in case of an emergency (чрезвычайная ситуация).

Registering as Unemployed

If eligible to receive unemployment benefit, the status of unemployed (безработный) must be applied for. This can be granted to anyone who is older than 16; ready and able to start performing suitable work; without any current work or income (including pensions); and is looking for a job.

The individual has to register as unemployed (preliminary registration) in the employment centre (служба занятости). To apply, the minimum documents required are as follows:

· Passport

· labour card (трудовая книжка) – a record book that documents an individual’s employment history

· documents about professional qualifications

· documents about the average salary from the last three months of employment.

All documentation should be officially certified (signed and stamped) by the institution issuing them. People who are looking for their first job and do not have professional qualifications need only to submit a passport and certification of the level of education achieved.

1. The employment centre must provide the individual with suggestions for a job suitable for the registered qualifications. Certain terms are set for re-assessment procedures, which the person has to comply with.

2. If the above stage of finding a job does not produce any results, the individual is then registered as unemployed and is entitled to receive benefits for a maximum of 12 months, during which time the job search must continue, either through the centre or independently.

3. If during the first 12 months the person is not able to find a job, an application can be made to be re-registered for another term of 12 months and to continue receiving unemployment benefits.

Unemployment Benefits

Unemployment benefits are paid monthly under the condition that the individual is undergoing the necessary re-assessment procedure (процедура переоценки) within the terms and conditions set by the employment centre (usually twice a month).

Benefits are calculated as a percentage of previous average wages(средняя зар.плата), reducing at certain points through the 12 month period, and the law states it should be a minimum of R.850 per month and up to a maximum of R,4,900. Benefits can be stopped in the following cases:

· two suggested suitable jobs are rejected

· performing paid public work after three months is rejected

· the undertaking of training suggested by the employment agency is refused

· the worker’s employment was terminated for disciplinary reasons

· the person cancels any suggested training

· the procedure for re-assessment of unemployed status is not followed.