Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has introduced a bill concerning arrears in salary, retirement benefits, scholarships and other payments to the lower house of Russia's parliament, the Kremlin's press service said on Friday.
Current Russian legislation does not differentiate the responsibilities for full or partial withholding of payments; therefore, Russian lawyers do not have a common position on using this norm of law.
"Taking into account the tendency of the humanization of [Russia's] criminal legislation, criminal punishment for such deeds in terms of imprisonment should be eased, and the increase of fines should be stipulated," an explanation to the bill said.
The bill stipulates stricter punishment for those employers who do not pay salaries in full or pay amounts under the minimum wage rate.
More than 28,900 business heads and managers were put on trial for withholding salaries in 2009, and the total amount of salary arrears reached 3.5 billion rubles ($115 million) by the end of 2009.
However, in February 2010, it exceeded 4.1 billion rubles ($135million) but declined to 3.2 billion rubles ($105.42 million) in June, the Federal State Statistic Service Rosstat said.
MOSCOW, June 23 (RIA Novosti)
