Scientists from Karelia are left without incentive payments. A junior research fellow's salary is just over 27,000 rubles.

Scientists at the Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (KarRC) did not receive incentive payments this year. They wrote to management, but were never given an explanation. According to Tatyana Popova, a member of the scientific and production commission of the RAS workers' union in Petrozavodsk, many only received their salaries. 

"The salary of a junior research fellow is 27,100 rubles. Incentive payments sometimes amount to several salaries. That's why we want to receive our hard-earned money. If this non-payment situation continues, I'd venture to guess that young researchers will be forced to look for other jobs," said Olga, Junior researcher at the forest technology laboratory Maria Ershova "Regional aspect".

Tatyana Popova added that currently, salaries vary greatly across the organization. The Karelian Research Center comprises seven institutes and one department for complex scientific research. However, only the department headed by Olga Bakhmet has no problems with payments. She proposes that the institute directors reduce their staff.

"The institute directors can't lay off or fire anyone, and they don't want to, because we've already cut back so much in recent years. At the Geology Institute, the number of employees has dropped from 160 to 100 in just a few years. And where are we going to fire young people? You won't find anyone on the street," Popova adds.

The Karelian Scientific Center held elections for a new general director yesterday. The staff chose Alexander Kryshen, director of the Forestry Institute. Tatyana Popova hopes that his appointment will make funding more transparent, but it still needs approval from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.