Turkish company is the example of "class society" in modern world

Turkish company is the example of "class society" in modern world

Turkish company (in this article is considered the structure of construction company) on the territory of Russian Federation represents class society, which is based at first on the principle of employee’s belonging to nation (there is a connection with citizenship, but nationality is prior), and also is connected with work status in company.
Belonging to a class defines possibility of finding niche in career ladder, to work on definite position, and collect revenue, have privileges accordingly (they will be described below).

3 classes can be designated: Turkish – the first (the highest) class, Russians – the second, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) – the third class. Top managers posts are hold exceptionally by Turkish, the access for Russians and CIS to this category is denied. Russian undoubtedly fills positions of personnel director, chief accountant, chief engineer, but worker on these positions doesn’t make decisions, he finds the most acceptable solutions, ways to solve important problems and submits them for consideration to Turkish personnel director, chief accountant accordingly, which bring in a verdict. At once I will say that simultaneously there are always Russian accounting department, personnel department, and same Turkish departments, and the last ones are always senior to Russian in hierarchy. Such doubling system has been implanted because of necessity to honour changeable labour and tax law, which details are unknown for Turkish managers. At the same time, all mental load job requiring responsibility and special knowledge, experience do Russians, though, in spite of that Turkish will be always superior.   

            It happens, that in the project in the branch of company over the personnel specialist stands personnel chief (Turkish) which is absolutely incompetent in details of migration law, personnel work procedures, liability, consequences,  stipulated by law, who doesn’t have education, worked in his homeland, for example, as a driver, and in Russia as a dormitory chief and suddenly flew upstairs to the position of personnel chief.   

To the group of engineer and technician workers, administrative personnel (the 2-nd class) are added Russians and Turkish, Russians at that stably take niche of the second class (as they can never achieve the first level,  in spite of excellent knowledge of Turkish as addition to highly developed professional competence). Also, same as in the case with management of accountant and HR-department not numerous engineers-Russians bear responsibility for documentation, cooperate with regulatory and licensing authorities, try to get to intelligence of their Turkish management notifying about safety requirements, requirements to documentation (often – in vain). Especially thorny question is the matter of safety, but we’ll devote separate article to this subject.

And finally, the third class – employees of industrial art, owerhelming majority of those – come from CIS countries, because they are expats (Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kirghizs) or more seldom – RF citizens  of these nationalities. Drivers and cleaning personnel, tea girls also regarded as third, the lowest estate, in spite of belonging to Russia. Hardly you will meet Azerbaijani among workers (they can be found in administrative personnel among supply department sometimes, so they are considered as the middle class), as well as Turkish, which use as simple workers is non-profitable in connections with necessity to execute visa for sojourn in RF. Foremen in most cases are Turkish, and very rarely can be met representative of CIS on this post.

In Turkish construction company reveals phenomenon of ethnic self-identification, i.e. employee psychologically identifies himself with the definite ethnical group, to which he belongs, contrasting with other ethnoses, for example Russians tell about themselves: “We are Russian, they are Turkish”; CIS countries citizens they tenderly call “esengeshnik” (short name from CIS, what means “CIS-citizen”); Turkish while ethnically classifying workers pay more attention to details in definition  (“Russian, Uzbek, Tajik”).

Privileges

Corporate transport. Employees delivery to workplace (site area) is done by the corporate transport (usually by minibus).  Mostly the privilege of corporative transport  doesn’t apply to Russian engineer and technician workers, they are delivered by company’s transport as an exception of the rule if the site is distant from the settlement. At that Turkish engineer and technician workers go separately from foremen. It is reasonable because foremen’s behaviour after passed working day (evidently, because of foretasting waiting for them evening  “gulp of freedom”: possibility to drink alcohol, to “dine a girl” in café and then, the culmination –  for the sake of this expats leave their sunny warm country and even go to the place of Decembrist’s exile – “to dance” her...) is accompanied by loud exclamations; what is more, if there is a Russian engineer in car who can understand Turkish language, the sense of talks will be distressing for his ears.  

Certainly, employees of the “nobility” go by passenger car with driver (Turkish Top management: personnel chief,  site manager,  deputies of project manager), and the project manager is given a personal car for use.

Catering. Turkish engineers & technicians, workers are given 3 meals a day, Russian engineers and technicians are given lunch, if they come to work early, they also can enjoy breakfast (breakfast time is 7.00-8.00 a.m., work day starts at 8-00) , same as if they overwork they will have possibility do have dinner in company (as a rule, 19-00). For workers (including foremen) and engineers & technicians are provided separate dining-rooms. This arrangement is typical for more advanced companies, with established traditions. Sometimes in large companies having branches, dukes of district (if they are peasants by birth), now using their status, in their own way try to lay down rules and vest their friends a special right, giving them possibility to board at engineer’s staff dining-room, then the meal in company brings no joy to educated employees, as it resembles (I don’t have first-hand experience of visiting places of frivolous amusement, but from movies) with beerhouse: loud talks, laughter, which in fact rather similar to bold stud’s roaring, and if take into account that remarks are given in Turkish, it is twice harder for Russian.

Accommodation and plane tickets are paid. First class employees are given rented apartment with furniture and all appliances (western-style renovation), Turkish  engineers & technicians as a rule stay two by two in two-room apartment; if it is agreed with the project manager Turkish specialist can be provided a separate apartment. Turkish managers unconditionally live in separate flats of enhanced comfort; project manager can live even in villa. To Russian specialist, though he is not local, from other town (by the way, such classification and denomination – “local-nonlocal personnel” is also characteristically for personnel lists in Turkish personnel department), accommodation expenses won’t be fully compensated, even if his duty is very important for project (doctor, for example); there is a correlation with the mentioned above: leading position giving highest privileges unachievable for Russian. CIS citizens can receive bed in a dormitory on territory of construction site as a maximum. All Turkish are fully-paid the ticket to homeland when they go for holiday time and for visa obtain (change); the ticket purchases company and also arranges transfer to airport and back.

Features

Remuneration of labour. Remuneration of labour of Russian is several times lower than Turkish citizen’s, regardless of high qualification level of the first one. As a rule, the amount of salary Russian specialist is up to local (town) pay level, as market economy rules act, the payment is fixed (overtime work is not paid extra). Remuneration of labour of Turkish is also fixed, but it is high. Pay of CIS category employees is according to the third class, hourly paid.

It should be reserved also that all money they get they (CIS workers) transfer to their homeland, and the salary is much higher in Russia than in their native land, where they will be able to buy at least 3 times more amenities than for the same amount of money in Russia.

Operating schedule. Normally work day for construction personnel (simple workers and also all Turkish managers) – 10-11 hours a day, beginning at 8.00 a.m., and end of work day usually is 07 p.m. (but it can be finished later, sometimes work is held in intensive mode until 08-09 p.m., even later for some categories. There is always full work day on Saturdays, and day-off is given every second week on Sundays. Russian engineers & technicians don’t work on Saturdays, or work till noon (according to remuneration of labour, which is fixed and for overwork they won’t be paid even a rouble, though, impelled by high responsibility some Russian specialists stay after end of work’s day of their own will. As companies used to save on Russian engineering and administrative staff, the quantity of personnel, especially in  personnel department is less than necessary, but responsibility is high, for example, omission of registration at the place of sojourn provides punishment for corporate body in amount of  400-800 thousands roubles for one worker.  In New Year’s and Christmas holidays Russians don’t work, March, 8^th is also traditionally day-off, February, 23^rd – up to project management.

Turkish have jealous treatment to Russians caused by extended working week and necessity to work in RF public holidays; Russians work little but Turkish completely forget that remuneration of labour of Russians is according to the second class (or they think that  Russians should be paid less or overwork). So in spite of supposedly positive treatment to Russians in team (Turkish are kind and well-mannered in daily work), Turkish consider Russians lower in rank. Though if to take into account absence of Turkish at work because of their often trips to homeland in connection with  obtaining visa (such absence is paid as operating time), or with passport change (in all above-mentioned cases it is not just crossing the boarder and immediate return, but staying at least about 3 days, and often more); they will take a rest longer, than Russians, and also they go on holidays, besides as opposed to Russians they manage to use all leave credit 28 days, which can be divided into two parts, while  Russians have just one week for year or don’t go on holiday all project time. As a result in point of work time ad remuneration of labour Turkish employees nevertheless are privileged.

In personnel list of one company (I’ll clarify at once: it can’t be considered as trend, I’ve seen it in one company) deputy of project manager required hierarchically-sectional list of employees (with separated blocks), where on the top was the coordinator, then project manager and his deputies, later in separate block in alphabetical order were stated employees (engineers and administrative personnel), and at the bottom in the same block with tea-girl and cleaner were secretary and doctor. Well, it was so logically to exclude from the middle list (group of specialists) the secretary with higher education and knowledge of 2 foreign languages and qualified doctor and unite them with service  personnel.

Refreshment. There is a tradition: when Turkish comes he brings lukim, baklava, other sweets to office. This refreshments may be classified as offering, tribute from lower stratum to aristocracy because has a higher status.

It is an interesting fact that politeness and gentlemenship is false, but aimed (sorry) to … get into girl’s bed. For example all gentlemenship disappears after Turkish learn that representative of the beautiful part of world is married, as they learn it they never yield to her in dining-room.

Initiative stands low in esteem. Turkish don’t like initiative; if it is typical for western companies to sound an opinion, here for initiative person’s post won't be upgraded, person rather will be hanged. Necessary to do only what manager says, adding any comment is not allowed.

Observing Russian traditions. Turkish company is a small Turkish country on the territory of RF. Turkish are guided by their own holidays and traditions, but not the labour  calendar of RF (though they are not guided by own labour calendar either working nearly without holidays and days-off): birthdays, New Year, February, 23^rd are not celebrated, they respect only March, 8^th giving congratulations to women’s part of group and presenting flower to each woman, arranging tea-party with cake in the end of work-day before holiday (sometimes with champagne).