4.2. Social Partnership

Employer-employee relations in the Gazprom Group are based on social partnership to ensure the best balance of interests for efficient delivery of Gazprom’s objectives subject to the performance of its commitments.

The General Collective Bargaining Agreement of PJSC Gazprom, its Subsidiaries and Entities is signed for a three-year period. It serves as the basis of the social partnership mechanism ensuring the balance of employee and employer interests by setting out their mutual obligations.

The Agreement outlines uniform social obligations for subsidiaries engaged in the production, transportation, processing, storage and sale of gas.

The Gazprom Group recognizes the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining provided for by the UN, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, and Federal Law No. 10-FZ dated January 12, 1996 On Trade Unions, their Rights and Guarantees of their Activities.

The interests of employees are represented by the Gazprom Workers’ Union Interregional Organization and its member organizations. Gazprom Workers’ Union is one of Russia’s largest industrial trade unions bringing together over 364,000 members.

Following collective bargaining negotiations, the parties to the social partnership agreed to extend the term of the General Collective Bargaining Agreement for the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024Supplementary Agreement No. 15 to the General Collective Bargaining Agreement dated July, 6 2021.. In 2021, 100% of employees of PJSC Gazprom and its subsidiaries were covered by the General Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The union also kept cooperating with the employer on current labor issues. In 2021, it contributed to the adoption of more than 10,000 local regulations.

The Gazprom Workers’ Union and its member organizations took an active part in implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including procuring protective equipment and sanitizers.

In 2021, Gazprom Workers’ Union was also involved in occupational safety activities carried out by 29 in-house technical labor inspectors and 7,507 occupational safety officers.

The Union works consistently to set up and consolidate trade union organizations at the Gazprom Group facilities. The reporting year saw six new trade union organizations join Gazprom Workers’ Union. The decrease in the number of member organizations in 2021 was due to changes in the internal structure of the Gazprom Workers’ Union.

The main issues in employee claims:

• disciplinary action;
• overtime;
• vacations and health resorts;
• benefits and financial assistance;
• pensions.

The Gazprom Group pays special attention to professional development projects in social partnership, including training, communication, and loyalty programs.