3 associations of the electrical industry sent an appeal to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
RAEC, Association Honest Position and NP Association Electrocabel ask to includeelectrical products in the recommended list of non-food essential goods.
Thereby, three associations: Association of Distributors and Manufacturers of Electrical Equipment Honest Position, NP Association “Electrocabel, Russian Association of Electrical Companies RAEC (hereinafter referred to as the Associations), uniting the vast majority of participants in electrical engineering market in Russia, note that restrictive measures to prevent proliferation of new coronavirus infection (2019- nCOV), introduced by the state authorities of the Russian Federation, make the situation critical.
On March 27, 2020, by order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 762-р, in order to fulfill subparagraph “в” of paragraph 2 of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of March 25, 2020, No.206 “On the announcement of non-working days in the Russian Federation” approved the recommended list of non-food essential goods, in accordance with which the non-working days regime is not applied to employees of organizations providing them to the population (hereinafter - the list).
According to the list, electrical and cable products and equipment are not essential non-food items. Thus, an employer engaged in production and / or sale of electrical products and equipment is obliged to extend the non-working day regime to its employees and to suspend its activities for these days.
This suspension of activities will lead to a sharp decrease in turnover in the electrical market and to closure of electrical companies due to financial insolvency. These risks directly refer to not only to small and medium-sized businesses, but also to large companies, which include manufacturers and distributors of electrical and cable products and equipment that are members of our Associations.
In the opinion of both, the Associations and our members, electrical and cable products and equipment are no less important than the rest of the goods included in the list, and are essential goods.
With suspension of activities of electrical and cable companies for the period of non-working days, the facilities under construction, including those significant and important for the country and for the population, may be left without electrical products, which will lead to the postponement of construction. The consequences of the suspension of activities may affect health projects, including rapidly erected ones, which will complicate the work to prevent the coronavirus pandemic. The industry serves the entire power transmission and distribution infrastructure for industry, households, military and medical facilities. This infrastructure is prone to failures and accidents that lead to fires and disasters if not properly prevented and repaired.
The lack of electrical materials will not allow timely elimination of accidents, as well as prevent fires due to the lack of timely fire safety measures.
Similarly, the supply of electrical equipment is necessary, including for production of urgent construction work in the field of housing and communal services and energy supply, both for the private sector and for fulfilling the state interests of the country.
In order to support the electrical industry and prevent mass closings due to financial insolvency, please assist the electrical industry by taking the following measures.
WE REQUEST to:
1. Include electrical products in the recommended list of non-food essential goods established by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 762-р dated March 27, 2020.
2. To develop and assist in provision of measures of state support to large companies in electrical industry that are not included in the Register of small and medium-sized businesses, similar to those provided by the Government of the Russian Federation and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation for small and medium-sized businesses.
General Director of the Association of Distributors and Manufacturers of Electrical Equipment Honest Position, V. V. Kashkin
Director of the Russian Association of Electrotechnical Companies RAEC, V. V. Svintsov
General Director of NP ASSOCIATION ELECTROCABEL, N. V. Sakharova
A pdf version of the document is available here.