Contractual Service in the North: Conditions, Compensations, Pros and Cons

The severity of weather conditions in the high latitudes of our country makes the corresponding requirements for contract service in the north. The complexity of the life of soldiers in such conditions is compensated by the introduction of a whole system of benefits and increased wages from the state.

Features of service in the north

Upon admission to military service on a contractual basis, a soldier is offered a standard salary without specifying any preferential terms, however, the contract indicates the place where the contractor is going to serve.

If the duty station coincides with the concept of "northern region", then the relevant benefits are automatically assigned, which relate to two main areas:

1. The appointment of additional wages, taking into account the so-called northern coefficient.
2. Providing benefits for early retirement.

A table of factors to the standard salary of military personnel for contractual service in the north is given below.

This list of territories, which are equated with the northern ones, is not complete, but it allows us to estimate the level of wages of a contractor who serves in a particular area.

Additional privileges

In addition to the entered coefficients, each region of the country with harsh conditions of service is equivalent to one of four categories of complexity. For example, Chukotka belongs to the first category of complexity. This division allows the introduction of additional preferential allowances, which are defined as 10% of the initial rate of a soldier and are added for every six months of his service under a contract in the north.

As a result, if a contractor has been serving in the area of ​​the first category of complexity for 5 years, then his salary only for this benefit will increase by 2 times. In the case of the fourth category of complexity, this premium will be 30%.

In addition to the increased salary, military service under a contract in the High North provides for other benefits. The main ones are the following:

• within three months after the beginning of service, the state allocates housing to the contractor;
• there are lists of things and products that are also issued to a soldier for free;
• the ability to travel once a year for free from any end of Russia to another point and back, regardless of what mode of transport (by train, plane, etc.).

Requirements

For military service under a contract in the north, the following requirements are presented to candidates:

• The age of the contractor is between 18 and 45 years.
• The candidate must have some kind of education (with school education they also take on a contract to the northern regions).
• There should be no serious health problems.
• There should not be any criminal record.

Cons of contract service in the north

What are they? Serving in the army under a contract in the north is not only a number of attractive benefits for young people, but also a lot of disadvantages that mainly concern their health. Due to the harsh climate in the Far North, prolonged stay in them even in healthy people can cause the following diseases:

• The appearance of chronic respiratory diseases. For example, chronic bronchitis. If such diseases were already present at the contractor, then in the northern climate they can become very aggravated.
• Decreased hemoglobin levels and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Lack of vitamins (mainly vitamin D) and minerals, which lead to problems with teeth, skin, and deterioration of the general condition of the body.

Due to the heavy load on the human body, in order to serve on a contract in the north, each candidate is carefully checked for his state of health. If any unsatisfactory indicators are identified, the young person may be denied the provision of a northern vacancy.

Psychological factor

Every fifth soldier in the first months of service terminates the contract according to statistics. And it is not so much about the harm of such a service to health, but about difficult psychological working conditions. The contractor must fulfill orders during working hours, speak only in the established manner and in accordance with the charter, and has the right to dispose of his actions freely only when he is dismissed (or during strictly specified hours). That is, the life of a contractor changes dramatically, and not everyone is ready for such changes.

In addition, the working conditions under the contract are such that a person must have high stress tolerance, a low level of empathy, must think calmly, make quick decisions, be fully aware of the high level of risk to his health, and have the ability to concentrate his attention without any nervous tension. All this makes the service, especially in the northern regions, very difficult.

Conditions of Service in the Northern Fleet

The Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation is one of the strongest in the world. It consists of several types of troops designed to conduct combat operations on water, under water, on land and above water. The high requirements for candidates for service in the Northern Fleet and the difficult conditions of the service itself lead to the fact that the Northern Fleet always needs replenishment.

To perform military service under a contract in the north in the Navy (navy), a soldier enters into a regular contract, as well as for service in other places. The level of his salary is determined by his rank, future position, ship or submarine, and some other indicators. Social benefits are determined by the relevant legislation on military service under the contract. In particular, each contractor on the Navy has the right to:

• to receive housing during the service;
• for length of service according to service in the northern regions;
• on the benefits of sanatorium-resort nature and medical services;
• for travel benefits in public transport ;
• the possibility of acquiring housing on the terms of military mortgage lending.

According to the state, service in the Northern Fleet involves a minimum cash allowance of 60 thousand rubles per month. However, numerous reviews of Navy contractors indicate that this figure is actually much lower. To understand all the subtleties of legislation regarding military service under a contract in the Northern Fleet, it is recommended to ask the opinion of the appropriate competent lawyer.

Calculation of length of service

According to the relevant government decree (RF No. 941 dated 09/22/1993), military service experience, taking into account a special coefficient, is accrued only by military personnel of the northern territories and zones equated to them. If the contractor is in the territory of such a zone on a business trip, then this is not taken into account when calculating the length of service.

The length of service under a contract in the regions of the Far North is calculated by multiplying the actual time of service by the corresponding coefficient, by analogy with the calculation of salary increases. These coefficients for some regions of Russia are shown in the table below:

Thus, a contractor who has served for six months in Kamchatka receives a one-year experience.

Retirement Conditions

According to the labor legislation of the Russian Federation, a person has the right to receive a pension if:

• he reached the age of 60 years or 55 years for men and women, respectively;
• worked for 15 years or 20 years in the Far North or in zones equivalent to it, respectively.

As for the serviceman, if he has served 20 years, he is also entitled to receive a pension. These 20 years are not actual, but formal, that is, when they are determined, preferential coefficients are also taken into account. For example, if a person has performed military service under a contract in the High North for 10 years, then he / she receives an absolute right to a seniority pension.

Features of retirement for military personnel and the size of the pension

In addition to length of service, there are other features of retirement for military personnel. Suppose a contractor has served over 7.5 years in the Far North. Then his retirement age will be reduced by 4 months for each year, taking into account the 7.5 years that he served. In other words, if the actual contractual service life in the north is more than 7.5 years, then this benefit is valid. If less, it doesn’t work.

Another pension benefit should be mentioned. If a person has served a sufficient amount of time to receive a retirement pension, has ceased military service and got an official job as a civilian, then after he has worked for more than 5 years, he is entitled to another pension.

The pension salary for military personnel is determined without any allowances, but only taking into account the base rate of their salary, however, each additional year of service after the necessary years of service gives the right to a pension allowance of 3%.

Reviews

The advantages that attract the service in the north to many people sometimes do not correspond to reality. This is evidenced by many reviews of the guys who served there. It is very difficult to work, much less serve in the Far North, where summer lasts only one month. And the rest of the time is frosts for -30, blizzards and polar night.

Service on the territory of units located in territories that are equated with the northern ones, for example, on Sakhalin or Western Siberia, is more favorable, according to reviews. Since the climate here is milder than, for example, on Novaya Zemlya. But in any case, reviews of contract service in the north convince us that this is not so simple.

Each contractor, before agreeing to any vacancy for contract service in the north, must first carefully consider all the disadvantages and risks, and not just take into account the promised advantages.