Today the Conference for the Company’s employees held at the Gazprom Headquarters have approved the draft General Collective Agreement of Gazprom and subsidiaries for 2010–2012.

Attending the Conference were Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Vladimir Babkin, Chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Gazprom, as well as over a hundred delegates from the Company’s Administration and subsidiaries.

Alexey Miller delivered a welcoming speech to the Conference participants.

“Gazprom is a leader of the global energy market. A high status of the Company obliges us to maintain a high level of social responsibility. Nothing, even the influence of the global financial and economic crisis, may change the Company’s attitude to providing its employees with social guarantees.

The draft General Collective Agreement for 2010–2012 submitted today for your consideration reflects the wishes of the bulk of the Company's employees in the most complete way and is provided with a real financial support. I would like to emphasize that observation of the Gazprom employees’ socioeconomic and labor rights has always been and will be a significant objective to be met for efficient operation of the Company,” said Alexey Miller.

Elena Kasyan, Head of the Gazprom Personnel Management Department addressed the Conference on behalf of the employer, and Kirill Bogush, Deputy Chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Gazprom – on behalf of the employees. In addition, representatives from the Gazprom subsidiary companies delivered their speeches at the Conference.

The Conference participants discussed the speeches and unanimously approved the draft General Collective Agreement. The Agreement will be signed by Alexey Miller and Vladimir Babkin.

Background:

The General Collective Agreement covers the employees of Gazprom and the Company’s fully-owned subsidiaries engaged in natural gas production, transportation, processing, storage and marketing, as well as the employees of the Company’s Interregional Trade Union Council, trade unions of Gazprom and its subsidiary companies.

The key objective of the General Collective Agreement is balancing the interests of the employer and the employees in the form of a social partnership and, provided there is financial capacity, granting a broader scope of guarantees, allowances and compensations to the employees than stipulated by the Russian legislation, other legal acts and the Gas Industry Agreement.

The draft General Collective Agreement of Gazprom and subsidiaries for 2010–2012 is developed due to the end of the General Collective Agreement for 2007–2009.