Researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s International Best Practices Analysis Department, Olga Soldatkina, commented for News.ru on the increase in the overtime limit.
The expert explained that the amendments to the Labor Code, which increase the permitted amount of overtime from 120 to 240 hours per year, effectively codify existing practices in the Russian labor market. According to Olga Soldatkina, employers have long faced a shortage of personnel and have been forced to require employees to work beyond official limits.
According to the expert, the changes to Article 99 of the Russian Labor Code were a response to the growing shortage of qualified specialists. Given limited hiring opportunities, companies rely on their existing workforce, especially in sectors requiring high qualifications or extensive on-the-job training.
The amendments will allow employers to stipulate in collective agreements an increase in the permissible amount of overtime to 240 hours per year. This primarily concerns technical specialists, engineers, as well as frontline staff in the hospitality sector and other fields where it is impossible to quickly replace personnel.
“It is important to understand that this is not about introducing a new overtime standard, but about legalizing practices that employers are already forced to resort to. Due to the 120-hour limit, companies often arranged additional work informally, which created risks for employees — for example, the lack of guarantees for double pay for overtime hours. Now, part of these arrangements will be brought into the legal framework. At the same time, the law maintains restrictions for employees working in hazardous conditions: the increased limit will not apply to certain categories, and requiring employees to work overtime will remain possible only with the employee’s written consent,” said Olga Soldatkina.