Require businesses to provide goods and services to the military when requested by the Russian government, and require workers to work nights and weekends without annual leave
Russian lawmakers approved two bills on first reading today that would allow the government to compel businesses to supply goods to the military and their workers to work extra hours to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Borisov told the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) that these initiatives were motivated by the need to support the army at a time when the Russian economy is suffering “colossal pressure” from the West, more than four months after the start of the so-called called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“The burden on the defense industry has grown significantly. In order to guarantee the supply of weapons and ammunition, it is necessary to optimize the work of the military-industrial complex,” he pointed out.
One of the draft laws stipulates that the state can impose “special economic measures” during military operations, obliging businesses to provide goods and services to the military at the request of the Russian government.
An explanatory note to the draft law states that the army needs new materials and repair weapons to continue its campaign in Ukraine.
The second draft law would amend the Labor Code to give the government the right to regulate working hours, which could mean Moscow would be able to oblige workers at enterprises supplying goods to the military to work at night, on weekends and on holidays , without annual leave.
The two bills must pass second and third readings, be considered in the upper house of parliament and promulgated by President Vladimir Putin to become law.
