|
According to spent by the Latvian association of insurers to research, the local enterprises passively enough use long-term tools for motivation of the workers. For example, the majority of chiefs do not offer the subordinates life insurance. And employees even if such service is given to them, not so it favour. |
The contract on memory life insurance consists between the employer and the subordinate for 5 years. The sum monthly paid by the worker, should not exceed 10 % from gross-salary. That is, if, say, your earnings make 500 Ls every month you should deduct on 50 Ls. Service is absolutely voluntary.
From 500 interrogated chiefs of the largest Latvian enterprises only 49,6 % insure a life of the subordinates. The others of 50,4 %, do not do it, motivating the behaviour differently: insurance presence on health and from accidents, existence of pension funds, small quantity of employees (that to waste time on trifles), and also absence of powers to make strategic decisions (it is a question of branches or branches, whose parent enterprise is abroad).
One of principal causes is absence of demand for the given service from workers. As experts recognise, it concerns small firms and the average enterprises with a small turn, profit and salaries more. To understand logic of workers in this case it is very simple. For the people receiving “минималку” or hardly more to take away from it the five or ten inadmissible luxury. °
Shortage of the information on this type of service affects also. So, for example, 27,4 % of businessmen admitted, that do not know about conditions of insurance of workers and benefits which it will bring the companies. “Tax discounts are entered in Latvia since 2002, the president of the Latvian association of insurers Юрис Думпис speaks. At us the system of tax privileges operates most effectively in comparison with other new EU countries”.
The problem of unpopularity of insurance of workers, according to Думписа, is covered also in features of thinking of the Latvian inhabitants. “Many think today of how more to spend, instead of about long-term prospects, he speaks. It is socially irresponsible. In Latvia there were adverse circumstances (frequent change of work, leak of hands) in which conditions it is extremely necessary to motivate workers to remain at the enterprises. Besides memory life insurance is favourable from the macroeconomic point of view as will help to lower volumes of consumption and thus to brake inflation”.
Are guilty, we will be corrected
Despite the aforesaid, experts specify and in positive tendencies in the market. By results of interrogation, more than half of respondents of 59,7 % have declared, that plan to take advantage of this service in new year. “It, certainly, a positive sign, businessmen have realised benefit of use of this tool”, was glad Юрис Думпис.
However the statistics is not so optimistical: in 2005 among all quantity of awards of life insurance legal bodies had been signed 37 %, for 9 months of current year of 34 %.
For comparison: in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and other East Europe countries in 2004 this indicator was equaled only 5 %. In turn, in Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden number of the awards signed by the companies much more 60 % from total.
Is in Latvia and the model enterprises on which life insurance of employees is the integral condition of the working contract for a long time already. Thus the most part from them (93,4 %) actively use tax privileges relying by it. In the majority of such companies insure it is universal everything, but there are enterprises where the insurance is necessary only to certain persons: that who works on harmful manufacture, abroad etc.
- Right КАРНИТЕ, the director of Institute of economy of the Latvian academy of sciences:
Life insurance of workers a method necessary, modern and mutually beneficial. But in Latvia there is a number of circumstances which prevent to take advantage to all employers of this service. It is necessary to recognise, that the given kind of insurance дороговат. If the person has a car for which the obligatory insurance money for voluntary insurance КАСКО to give is necessary it would not be desirable at all. The Same who sits on a living wage, simply do not presume to themselves additional expenses.
One more group of the people which have been not interested in this service, is youth which often changes a work place, from here long-term communications are not necessary to it. If to speak about employers most difficultly it is necessary small enterprises. One of the reasons bureaucracy, complexity of procedure of insurance, fear of heavy fines (if something is made not so) and, naturally, additional costs. I think, that the situation with life insurance will improve, when the general economic situation in the country will improve, the legislation becomes more clear, and the insurance companies will meet clients.
- Arthur КОДОЛИНЬШ, the independent expert under taxes:
Certainly, it is very favourable tool. Nevertheless it is possible to allocate some reasons why it inefficiently works in Latvia. The aversion causes a contract imprisonment term in many. The employer is afraid to conclude the contract with the worker for 5 years as there is no guarantee, that its subordinate will not want to replace a place of work of year through two. At the same time in statutory acts it is mentioned that if it will occur the contract can be renewed on the new employee, having kept thus all privileges. That is it is a question of ignorance by employers of the legislation.
Some heads consider, that if health insurance no discounts on life insurance rely any more is issued. It not so, and besides shows ignorance of laws. Mass introduction of life insurance of workers is braked also by that factor, that the enterprises practise till now salaries in envelopes.
- Петерис КРИГЕРС, the chairman of the Society of free trade unions:
We speak about life insurance of employees at the meetings much. As a result it is possible to allocate some reasons of unpopularity of this financial tool.
First, to deduct monthly additional sums low salaries do not allow. To me speak: “My children wish to eat now, instead of in 5 years”. People simply do not have available assets. The same concerns also employers. Certainly, to such large companies as Latvenergo and Lattelecom, much easier to insure the workers. And here to owners of small enterprises it to make difficult. Interrogation was spent among the largest Latvian enterprises. I doubt, that in small firms in general there are any kinds of insurance. And if the large enterprises do not have concept about this financial tool what to speak about small and average business?
Secondly, some businessmen continue to pay salaries in envelopes. And, by itself, it is clear, that they are not interested in insurance of the workers. At such enterprises in general no insurance operates.
And thirdly, inhabitants do not trust in promises about the happy and provided old age. At many the fear and mistrust the middle 1990 when to them promised the light future, and as a result funds and banks in which they put up money have still remained, have simply burst, and people remained with what.
And, at last, the fourth reason of unpopularity of life insurance of employees is that the state, on the one hand, propagandises benefit of life insurance, and with another does not show a good example. Here when all workers of the state structures will be insured under this scheme and people will see its real benefit and efficiency then also they will follow to this example.