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Acron Reports on Meeting Its Social Obligations

2015 social payments under the collective agreement amounted to RUB 150.2 million

Acron (Veliky Novgorod) allocated RUB 150.2 million for social payments in 2015 under the collective agreement with its employees.

In 2015, approximately 20 amendments were made to Acron’s collective agreement. For instance, on 1 January 2015 the Company’s payroll funding increased 10% in response to the Consumer Price Index. The same increase was reported on 1 January 2016. Acron’s average salary is RUB 43,000, 63% higher than an average salary in Novgorod region.

In 2015, Acron employees received higher bonuses for diligencefair, excellent work and improvements to the Company’s site under the Fair Work programme. A comprehensive programme of relevant measures resulted in upgrades to buildings, facilities and sites, as well as significant improvements to labour conditions and a decrease in workplace accidents.

Acron provides an extensive social package, one of the best both in Novgorod region and in the entire industry, and allocates earmarked funding to labour safety measures, healthy meals, high quality healthcare and a wellness programme for its employees. Annually, approximately RUB 7 million is channelled into emergency medical care for the Company’s employees under the voluntary health insurance agreement.

In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, Acron operates an on-site sports centre where employees exercise and use the swimming pool at reduced rates. Acron also organises athletics tournaments in 11 sports attended by approximately 3,000 employees.

The Acron Cultural Centre is one of the largest concert venues in Veliky Novgorod where Acron holds shop anniversaries, receptions for veterans and concerts. Employees of Acron and its subsidiaries and their family members have access to cultural events and various services at the Centre.

Acron (Veliky Novgorod) allocated RUB 14.8 million to health resort therapy for its employees, allowing 316 specialists to buy health resort packages to Russian and Belarusian resorts for only 10-25% of the full price. Approximately 100 specialists involved in extremely hazardous operations received health resort treatment free of charge, using financing from the Social Security Fund (RUB 3.3 million).

Acron finances 70-80% of the cost of vacation packages to the Raduga children’s health-care camp and to the Avrora recreation camp (located in the Valdaysky district, Novgorod region). In summer 2015, 542 children attended the health-care camp.

The Company assists its best employees in solving their housing issues. Since 2008, Acron’s employment agreements have provided accommodations in a Company-owned building. The Acron housing programme offers employees instalment mortgage loans with partial compensation for interest. Employees may also obtain interest-free loans to finance housing improvements and urgent needs.

Acron’s Executive Director Vladimir Gavrikov said, “Acron’s collective agreement, originally executed in 2012, provides an extensive set of social guarantees and ensures timely salary payments and precise mutual fulfilment of obligations by the employer and the trade union”.