On 1 October the Standing commission on collective negotiations, preparation, execution and monitoring of collective agreement met to discuss the results of implementation of the Collective Agreement in the company during the first half of 2007.

V.A. Akulich, the CEO of the OJSC NWT, addressed the participants of the meeting and emphasized the importance of the existence of a collective agreement in OJSC NWT. A collective agreement is the main legal document which determines the social and labour relations between the employees and the employers and provides the employees with such important social guarantees like timely payment of wages, additional retirement payments, health insurance, summer holidays for children etc.

V. A. Chusnutdinova, deputy CEO and the director for economics and finance, presented the budget for the first half of 2007 and the forecast for the development of the OJSC NWT until 2012.

The Collective Agreement report for the first half of 2007 on behalf of the employer was presented by I.V. Tambovskaya, the Director of Human resources department at OJSC North-West Telecom. In her presentation she said that during this period the social and labour relations in OJSC North-West Telecom were always settled according to the current legislation and employment agreements. All obligations taken by the OJSC NWT according to the Collective Agreement are currently being fulfilled. Specifically, remunerations comply to the approved “Regulations on payment to the branch employees”. An average salary in company in the first half of 2007 was 16,877 roubles. The expenses on payments according to the Collective Agreement (material subsistence for holidays, single awards for anniversaries and length of service, single material support due to family circumstances, additional holidays) amounted to 115 million roubles. The expenses on additional health insurance amounted to 55 million roubles. In order to ensure efficient human resources policy, the company organized continuing education for staff, vocational training and special technical training in appropriate educational establishments. 3,436 employees attended trainings and the total expenses on education and training (including consulting and information services and also travel expenses) amounted to 50 mln. roubles.

The Trade Unions were represented by T.A. Shuyskaya, the President of the Interregional trade union organization of the OJSC NWT of the Trade Union of Communication Workers of Russia. She emphasized continuous close interaction between the trade unions and the employer, pointed out the importance of the collective agreement for the social guarantees and employees’ rights, whose interests are to be protected by the trade unions.

The Standing commission also considered the suggestion of the Territorial trade union organization to introduce a number of changes into the Collective agreement of the OJSC NWT and approved the working plans for 2008.