Evgeny Primakov, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during his visit to Tomsk spoke with Boris Maltsev, speaker of the State Duma of Tomsk Oblast.

The main issues Mr. Maltsev intended to discuss with Mr. Primakov (as he took the office of Prime Minister immediately after the 1998 default and managed to help the country out of that economic crisis, and now is the head of an influential organization protecting interests of business companies and individuals) were the following:

1) Why are salaries in Russia so low compared to the Warsaw Pact countries and former Soviet Baltic states? Are there any ways to increase them?

2) When will the State understand that the development of the basic infrastructure (railways, waterways, roads, air transportation, power grids, etc.) must not be loaded upon private investors on the pretext that it is in their interests?

Mr. Maltsev: Payment per unit of output must be at least doubled to catch up with international norms. And it will not necessarily result in the sharp inflation rise. There are special tools to control the inflation. On the other hand, who is in charge of making the employers pay a fair and merited salary? State? Or, maybe, there are other structures meant to protect the rights of the hired workers?

Mr. Primakov: I agree with you as to the statement that the salary increase will not necessarily prompt a disastrous inflation rise. It’s great that you raise this issue at all levels of power and deal with it in the Oblast. Once the salary is increased, the social situation of citizens will improve and their purchase interest will increase through the rise in purchasing power, which, in its turn, will lead to the production growth. The rights and interests of the hired workers must, first of all, be protected by the unions. But, unfortunately, they don’t have much power.

Mr. Maltsev: It is the State who must take the initiative and the major part of expenditures aimed to develop the basic infrastructure in the country. Private investors are not willing to get involved in the regional economies exactly because of the poor infrastructure.

Mr. Primakov: Most Russian regions face problems with infrastructure, and the situation in Siberia is the worst. …today, I believe, the state is financially able to develop the basic infrastructure in the country. Our gold and currency reserves are sufficient enough to tackle problems of any scale. We cannot escape that if we really want and plan to get the most of our economy.
Evgeny Primakov, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Evgeny Primakov, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The speaker of the State Duma of Tomsk Oblast spoke with his guest about the work of the legislative assembly which he has been heading for 14 years. Mr. Maltsev placed a special emphasis on the laws which prompted the development of the small-scale business in the Oblast.
At the end of the meeting Boris Maltsev said “I’m glad that our viewpoints on key issues coincide. I hope that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry both in the centre and at the local level will support the regional authorities in the issues discussed.”

The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast

Evgeny Primakov, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during his visit to Tomsk spoke with Boris Maltsev, speaker of the State Duma of Tomsk Oblast.