downtime
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downtime
Downtime
the temporary suspension of work, resulting from a worker’s negligence or conditions the worker has no control over, such as a machine breakdown or a lack of raw materials, supplies, or electric power.
In the USSR, when downtime is not the result of the negligence of a worker or employee, wages are paid in the amount of half the hourly established rate of a worker having a corresponding qualification. In the metallurgical, mining, and coking industries wages are paid in the amount of two-thirds the established rate; the monthly wages in these cases cannot be lower than a predetermined minimum amount. When new production is being set up in both new and existing enterprises, downtime that is not caused by the negligence of the worker is paid for by estimating the established rate of an hourly worker who has a corresponding classification. In those branches of the national economy where standard rates have been established for pieceworkers and hourly workers, the amount of the pay during downtime that is not caused by the negligence of the worker is determined by the legislation of the USSR. A worker is not paid when the downtime is his fault.
Workers and employees are transferred to other work in the same enterprise for the entire period of the downtime or to another enterprise in the same locality for a period of up to one month. Their occupations and skills are taken into consideration. When transferred to lower paying work because of downtime, workers and employees who fulfill the output standards receive the average earnings they received at their previous work. Workers who do not fulfill the output standards or are transferred to work paid on an hourly basis receive the established pay rate of the job they have been transferred to. Skilled workers and employees cannot be transferred to unskilled jobs.