The head of the school cafeteria, who was fired for complaining, was called by investigators: salary is 22 thousand

A loud scandal broke out in the Nizhny Novgorod region. At school No. 3 in the city of Zavolzhye, the head of the canteen was fired because a woman complained about the lack of repairs and low salaries.

The main character of this story, Tatyana Kruglova, told what happens a week and a half after the incident.

“Good morning everybody! Although for us it is not very good. We, the workers of the canteen of school No. 3, appeal to the head of the local self-government of the Gorodetsky district. We are waiting for you today in our dining room. We are not penguins, and we wear chef’s hats on our heads, not construction helmets. But we are forced to work in unbearable conditions, with a room temperature of 2 degrees. They also don’t pay wages, they only take meager pennies.”

A resident of the Volga region, Tatyana Kruglova, posted this post on December 11 at 5.30 am.

A commission immediately arrived at the school. On the same day, Kruglova was fired. And the other day a woman was summoned to the investigative committee. But first things first.

I have been working at the school since 2020. Since then I’ve been trying to change something,” Tatyana Kruglova began. “But no matter how much we complained to the school director and our immediate supervisor, the caterer, they just shrugged their shoulders. Last year, the girls begged with tears in their eyes to replace the windows in the washing department. The frames were old, wooden, the glass was cracked. As a result, the windows were replaced. But we haven’t gotten around to updating the windows in the coldest shops – vegetable and meat shops. The school is 70 years old and has never undergone major renovations. The walls are frozen, finishing needs to be done. It’s time to change the pipeline. The sewer system is rusty and falling apart. There are no hoods. Devastation. They brought new equipment, but where to put it when the paint falls from the ceiling. In response to all our requests for repairs, we often heard: there is no money. When it starts to get cold here, the doors and walls are covered with frost. Instead of chef’s hats, we put on hats and work in warm clothes and felt boots. What kind of sanitation are we talking about?

Kruglova’s dismissal happened quickly.

— In the morning I put up a post, at about 9 am the local administration arrived with a commission that accepted the school for the academic year. They went to our department where they wash the dishes. Neither hello nor goodbye. When I asked them to introduce themselves, they remained silent. Then someone muttered to me that these were representatives from the Education Department. They stood and looked at all this horror: the ceiling was covered in fungus, the cracked tiles on the floor… The temperature on the thermometer showed a little more than 4 degrees Celsius. As a result, they stated that the renovation is planned for 2024-25.

I went out into the dining room, where the school principal and several other people had gathered. And I heard: we will negotiate. Well, they always agree. After all, earlier Rospotrebnador had already issued an order to make major repairs in the catering unit, but apparently they also agreed…

After the commission left, the manager of the catering organizer appeared at the school.

“I thought they brought us our salaries, but it turned out that the manager came to fire me,” continues Kruglova. – I asked why? They answered me: there was nothing to write. I wanted to get into a pose, but they immediately took away the keys to the catering unit. Why should I get into a fight? They counted me out, I left.

Tatyana Kruglova’s salary was 22 thousand rubles: “Although I was not only a manager, but also a cook. There weren’t enough employees. But we were not paid extra for the additional workload. They also deducted for vacations, holidays…”

At first, the woman was supported by her colleagues. They also planned to quit as a sign of solidarity. But then they changed their mind.

“I can’t judge people, everyone has their own life.” Although I immediately warned them: girls, after publicity, they will fire me. They said they would leave with me. But they didn’t leave… The food organizer gathered them and said, “You have the highest salary, where will you go?” I would like to note that kitchen workers receive 17 thousand. This is the lowest salary in the region. Previously, we, naive fools, sent complaints to the administration and the prosecutor’s office about salaries, but everything was useless. And we worked conscientiously, we didn’t miss a single day, no one even went on sick leave. According to the interlocutor, an employee of the catering department, all aged under 60: “The employer believes that we don’t have to pay extra, since no one is indignant. Although everyone is indignant, they are afraid to speak out loud, they are afraid of losing their jobs.”

Meanwhile, the caterer said in an interview with local journalists that Kruglova was not fired for complaints on social networks. He indicated a different reason: “She turned out to be a thief, she did not feed the children. We suggested that she break up on good terms. We talked to the remaining employees and they agreed that everything was done correctly. They stay to work.”

“It’s funny to even comment, the person had to somehow justify himself,” Tatyana comments. – After the story became public, lawyers contacted me and offered help. We are filing a statement of claim in court, I am going to defend my honor and dignity, and I intend to be reinstated at work. I also sent a statement to the prosecutor’s office regarding low salaries, and I’m waiting for an answer at the end of December.

Kruglova was supported not only by lawyers, but also by local residents and deputies of the State Duma and Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region. On Monday, the woman was summoned to the Investigative Committee: “I asked why I was called? They answered me: they responded to publications in the media. But I think someone from above gave instructions to sort it out.”

“There aren’t enough cooks at school now,” Tatyana adds. — They are brought from neighboring educational institutions. Accordingly, the quality of food has changed. Recently, the school posted a vacancy for a cook, under which there were comments: “Go there yourself, do the repairs first.” After my dismissal, they brought a heat gun to the catering department. It’s gotten better, but the walls still don’t keep the heat in for long. And the window frames are old wooden, so the heat escapes. Representatives of Rospotrebnadzor came on Tuesday. I don’t know what they decided. I remember one of their employees came to see us in September and held his nose while making his rounds. The sewerage system is old. We were then asked: why don’t you signal violations? Here I signaled. And what happened…