Labor dispute exposes cracks in Russian air traffic control Union reps say falling wages and disappearing benefits force many to moonlight as couriers and taxi drivers
Earlier this month, Russia’s Federal Trade Union of Air Traffic Controllers released a video highlighting the profession’s deteriorating working conditions. According to the organization, air traffic controllers face salary cuts and canceled housing subsidies, forcing many to take side jobs as couriers, taxi drivers, and retail workers. The trade union’s video has gained attention in Russia’s news media and on popular Telegram channels. Following the uproar, the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management has offered some compromises, but tensions remain in this critical industry.
The union timed the video’s release to coincide with the final stage of negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement for 2025–2028 between the Unified Representative Body of Workers, which represents air traffic controllers, and their employer, the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management, a subsidiary of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency. At the time of this writing, the negotiations are set to conclude today, February 7, with the agreement expected to take effect on April 1.
A week ago, employees and their employer had yet to reach an agreement on 48 provisions concerning working conditions. Among other demands, air traffic controllers insist on guaranteed salary adjustments for inflation, additional payments for early-career specialists, the preservation of benefits for industry veterans, disability insurance for all employees, and maintaining a “golden parachute” program for retiring employees (currently, this benefit equals roughly a year’s salary). “Safety is no place for compromise,” the union argues in its video.
According to Air Traffic Controllers Federal Trade Union President Sergey Kovalev, around 3,500 employees could resign in the near future if the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management refuses to preserve retirement bonuses. Mass resignations would mean that “some air traffic control centers will simply shut down,” Kovalev warned. “If even 30-50 percent of an air traffic tower resigns, it will be a disaster.”
Kovalev says inflation is hurting staff at strategic enterprises responsible for air traffic management across Russia. Salaries for controllers, engineers, technicians, and IT specialists have barely budged in the last four years. “Adjustments were a mere 0.5 percent. This year, a 4.5 percent adjustment is planned, starting April 1. So, it’s no mystery why both the union and the workers are outraged,” explained Kovalev.
According to Kovalev, roughly a thousand controllers quit their jobs in 2022 due to low salaries and degrading work conditions. “Some moved to other industries, and younger workers mostly switched to IT,” he said.
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The average monthly salary in Russia for air traffic controllers is 145,000 rubles ($1,500), though Novaya Gazeta Europe’s source at the trade union called this number “a ballpark figure.” At some facilities, such as air traffic towers in Stavropol, Elista, and Cheboksary, monthly salaries for entry-level controllers with less than six years of experience are just 50,000–60,000 rubles (about $570), while staff with more than 20 years of experience earn around 85,000 rubles ($875). The union estimates that up to 60 percent of controllers at most regional branches across Russia take on additional work to make ends meet.
Novaya Gazeta’s union source argued that the job’s onerous demands justify better pay:
Air traffic controllers must pass annual exams to renew their licenses, undergo medical examinations similar to pilots’ requirements, take proficiency tests every three years, maintain International Civil Aviation Organization Level 4 English proficiency, undergo medical checks before every shift, and face disciplinary action for using a mobile phone (even when no air traffic is present) or if a supervisor finds an issue in their radio communications with crews.
Controllers have also been given new responsibilities. Last September, they were charged with “visually monitoring birds during aircraft takeoff and landing.” According to the Telegram channel Mash, night-shift controllers will also face new fines for minor infractions. Additionally, criminal liability is a real concern in the profession, with three air traffic controllers in Russia currently under felony investigation.
In January, Andrey Bulin, head of the State Corporation for Air Traffic Management, acknowledged that some employee benefits will disappear in new contracts. For example, the company will halt bonuses for retiring employees and cut disability insurance across the board, though Bulin insisted that the core benefits package for employees will remain intact. He described workers’ dissatisfaction as “counterproductive.”
Bulin's team issued several directives in early February to prevent “escalating social unrest and instability within the company. " The directives ostensibly preserve current employees’ core benefits. The company promised to implement 4.5-percent salary adjustments on April 1 and guaranteed retirement bonuses equal to a year’s pay for employees who qualify before March 31.
At the same time, State Corporation for Air Traffic Management spokespeople complained that union representatives “keep making new demands for various payments without bothering to calculate the financial burden on the company.” Spokespeople also challenged workers’ claims about mass resignations and fines for minor infractions on the job. “Staffing levels for core personnel stand at 92 percent,” said the company, again listing the benefits it provides to employees.