Chelyabinsk Factory Owned by Forbes Billionaire May Switch to Three-Day Week

Employees of the Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant told 74.RU about possible plans for the enterprise to switch to a shortened work week from February. They insist that they were told about the new schedule verbally, right after the New Year holidays. According to workers, the transition to a three-day week is planned from the first of the month, but will not affect everyone. The largest Russian producer of mining equipment is controlled by Forbes billionaire Anatoly Skurov. We asked the management of Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant, the employment service, and the regional industry ministry whether a part-time work week is indeed planned — details in the 74.RU report.

‘Transferring, But Not All Workshops’

‘The Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant is being moved to a three-day week,’ one of the plant«s employees told 74.RU, requesting anonymity regarding his name and position.

The same information was reported by another female employee of Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant.

‘Yes, it«s true, the plant is being transferred to a three-day week, but not all workshops,’ she believes. ‘That is, some workshops remain on the previous schedule, others switch to a three-day week. All this will be from February.’

Workers are primarily concerned about what will happen with their pay if someone is transferred to a three-day work week.

‘Two-thirds of the average salary, as I understand it, will they receive?’ assumed an employee of Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant.

‘They say they were waiting for the owner, he was supposed to arrive [recently]. It was with him that the issue was supposed to be decided,’ expressed another resident of Kopeysk. ‘But for now, plant workers have exactly this information.’

Recall that ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’ is the largest enterprise in Russia for the production of mining equipment. More than 70% of combines working in Russia«s coal mines are produced at KMZ.

JSC ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’ was registered in Kopeysk in 1993. It produces machines and equipment for mining and construction. Information about the founders is not available in open sources. General Director — Georgy Tyrsin (since November 7, 2023). The staff, according to 2024 data, is 2,980 people. In 2024, the revenue of JSC ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’ amounted, according to the service Rusprofile, to 12 billion rubles (approximately $133 million at current rates), net profit — 2.03 billion rubles (approximately $22.6 million at current rates).

In 2012, ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’ came under the control of the president of ‘Sibuglemet’, co-owner of ‘Uralkali’ (the main consumer of KMZ products) Anatoly Skurov. Currently, he is the chairman of the board of directors of JSC ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’. In 2025, Anatoly Skurov returned to the ranking of Russian billionaires according to Forbes, taking 138th place. The publication estimated his fortune at $1.1 billion.

What Was Said at the Plant

We sent an official request to Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant asking to comment on whether the enterprise is indeed switching to a shortened work week, for what reasons, for how long, how many workers it will affect, and what salary employees will receive during this period.

‘Information about the part-time employment regime — idle periods has been sent to the Main Directorate for Labor and Employment of the Population of Chelyabinsk Region,’ after a week, limited himself to a brief response the general director of JSC ‘Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant’ Georgy Tyrsin.

And Are the Authorities Aware?

The editorial office of 74.RU inquired whether the regional ministry of industry is aware of the situation with Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant.

‘No information has been received about the transfer of KMZ workers to a three-day work week. According to information from the KMZ personnel department, a decision to introduce a part-time work week at the plant has not been made, and accordingly, no notification about the introduction of a part-time work week has been sent to the state employment service,’ stated in response to a request from 74.RU in the Ministry of Industry, New Technologies, and Natural Resources of Chelyabinsk Region.

By law, the employer is obliged to notify the state employment service about mass reductions, dismissals, and the transfer of employees to a shortened work week. This is done by placing information in the personal account of the enterprise or organization on a unified digital platform (portal ‘Work Russia’. — Ed. note).

‘The employer must place this information within three days after making a decision to conduct the corresponding measures,’ explained 74.RU in the press service of the regional employment service.

As of January 30, 2026, there is no information about the transfer to a shortened work day for employees of Kopeysk Machine-Building Plant, noted in the Main Directorate for Labor and Employment of the Population of Chelyabinsk Region.

‘As of today, seven people are in idle mode — from November 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026,’ added in the employment service.

According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, if idle time occurred due to the employer«s fault, then the idle time is paid at a rate of not less than 2/3 of the average salary of the employee for the last 12 months, indicated in the Main Directorate for Labor and Employment of the Population. In case of extension of idle time, the employer is also obliged to submit information about the extension of the idle period to the employment service within three working days after making such a decision.

In case of violation of legislation, the employment service transfers information about an unscrupulous employer to the prosecutor«s office.

‘Notify Two Months in Advance’

The employer has the right to introduce a part-time work regime unilaterally, if it prevents mass dismissal of personnel. But this requires compliance with the general rules for changing the terms of the employment contract at the initiative of the employer, established by Article 74 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, indicated lawyers.

If part-time work is introduced at the initiative of the employer, he must notify the employment center about it. It is also important to inform the personnel in advance about changes in the work schedule.

‘Notify employees about the introduction of a part-time work week needs to be at least two months before the start of the new work time (Article 74 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation),’ explained the head of the legal company ‘Forlex’ Nikolai Popov. ‘Sometimes employers are guided by the following logic: since part five of Article 74 of the Labor Code establishes special rules for such a change in the terms of the employment contract, like the introduction of a part-time work regime, and does not contain a requirement to notify workers, then the employer has no obligation to send such a notification. However, courts reject such arguments.’

Recall that from September 1, ChEMK transferred administrative personnel of all structural subdivisions to a part-time work week (4 days). In other regions, some enterprises began switching to a four-day week back in the summer. Such a regime has been introduced, for example, at the Serov Ferroalloy Plant, part of the employees of Yekaterinburg Metro work on a reduced schedule. From December 15, the concern ‘Uralvagonzavod’ transferred part of the employees to a four-day work week, however, ‘ChTZ-Uraltrak’ (part of NPK ‘Uralvagonzavod’) was not affected.