Russian Gun Factory Pay Food as Workers Salary

The management at a factory producing Kalashnikov guns in Russia’s Kirov Oblast is paying its workers in food in place of their regular salaries.

The Molot factory in Vyatskiye Polyany distributed buckwheat, rice, sugar, pasta, and sunflower oil to some 100 workers earlier this week. The food was provided to the factory by local businessmen. Today another group of some 100 workers received foodstuffs instead of money for their salaries.

The Molot factory has experienced economic problems since the government reduced its orders from the company last year. Many companies around the world now make guns similar to the original Kalashnikov weapons, hurting sales for the main Russian Kalashnikov makers.

The largest Kalashnikov factory, in Izhmash, was closed down for much of 2009.