A resident of Arkhangelsk Artem Shishkov lost five pounds, deciding to experiment “Live on the minimum wage and not die.” On Friday, September 22, told TASS the man himself.
According to Shishkova, he wanted to prove or disprove the thesis that the minimum wage (SMIC) can live for a month. “I have not been clear why the minimum wage is below the subsistence level. Where are these figures? Because retirees pay the pension to the minimum wage, and working people can pay less,” the man explained.
Social experiment started on 23 August. In the third week Shishkov had to completely abandon beef, pork, poultry and fish, and also from cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, margarine and fruit. However, on September 17 a man was left without money. The next five days he was forced to spend on cereals, pasta, eggs and vegetable soups.
As a result, the man not only lost weight but also began to feel drowsiness and lethargy.
Earlier in September, the Russian government approved a bill to raise the minimum wage to 85 percent of the subsistence minimum of able-bodied population on 1 January 2018 and 100 percent in 2019.
From July 1, entered into force amendments to the law “About the minimum wage”, in which the level of the minimum wage has increased from 7.5 thousand to 7.8 thousand rubles. At the same time, according to the labor Ministry, in the second quarter of 2017 the subsistence minimum of able-bodied citizens in Russia amounted to 11 163 rubles.