Nowadays, the price of life of any person and his free will are considered indisputable values. This is recognized in most countries of the world. It is known that in democratic states to force a young man to take up arms in peacetime, to learn how to shoot is not the most rewarding thing.
Many have already realized that killing and destruction are not considered the norm and a phenomenon worthy of a civilized person. Therefore, in the countries of the "victorious democracy" service in the Armed Forces is mostly voluntary.
Citizens themselves decide: whether to serve them, and for the most part on a contractual basis. However, there is an alternative to this option. For example, in the Russian Federation there is an alternative civil service. What it is? What is known about the conditions of such a service and the requirements for applicants?
Alternative Civil Service (AGS): what is it?
Alternative civilian service is a type of occupation aimed at the benefit of the Russian state and its people, replacing military service in military units for draft-age guys. In other words, this is an ordinary job. They go to her for a certain period under the circumstances or requests, instead of undergoing military service.
The right to an alternative civil service
Article 59 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation regulates military service, and its third part indicates that all civilians have the right to alternative civilian service in cases established by the relevant federal laws. Consequently, the rights to ACS are given to all citizens on the basis of a legal document having the highest legal force.
Federal Law on Alternative Civil Service
June 25, 2002 developed and enacted the Federal Law "On Alternative Civil Service". The beginning of the document tells about who has the right to change the "time" to "alternative". Two categories of draftees have these rights:
- The first - those who consider their activities related to the service unacceptable by moral or religious convictions;
- The latter are the few indigenous people who traditionally live.
The second can be attributed very few, and the first - potentially all the other recruits. Therefore, the first option is to be interested in more detail. Here the situation is divided into two subgroups: by faith and by personal conviction. It is theoretically possible to choose a certain well-known faith, to contact a religious association, in order to confirm their belonging to this community, for example, by testimonies of co-religionists. But it looks very exotic.
It is a completely different matter with the convictions of people who did not even think to take up arms, especially in Russia, where the firearms are forbidden to the majority by law.
In addition, the Federal Law does not mention the period of time during which the draftee adheres to its principles. For example, someone does not tolerate violence for 15 years already, and someone started to follow this only six months ago. In other words, it is not possible to provide any objective evidence on this issue.
In the next article, the Federal Law reveals who can be sent to the AGS. In this case, you should know such nuances.
- Citizens assigned to AGS, due to the fact that AGS is a substitute for military service, must have a military age, but under 27 years of age;
- Conscripts should not have contraindications for military service, because such citizens are immediately issued military tickets for health reasons or a delay. Such people may be in the civil service, but not related to the AGS;
- Conscripts who have any deferment from the army, for example, in connection with their studies, are exempt from the ACS;
- Only a recruit will be sent to the ACS, either personally or through the mail of the applicant for replacement of alternative military service;
- Recruits will be sent to the alternative service, who have received permission from the draft board for appointment to the AGS.
Terms of alternative civil service
Terms for AGS, operating in our days, are fixed in the Federal Law on the ACS. There are different options: the situation will depend on the institution in which the service is expected. For example, when the passage of service will be organized in institutions under the jurisdiction of the Russian Ministry of Defense or in military units in civilian positions, the term of the AGS will be one and a half years.
And when the service is organized in other institutions that are not related to these (for example, by mail or tax inspectorate) - then the term of the ACS can reach up to twenty-one calendar months, in other words, almost two years.
Place of passage of alternative civil service
Naturally, many are interested in a particular place in which alternative civilian service is possible. Many have heard about caring for patients in hospitals, and as a result there could be an erroneous opinion that this is the only possible option. However, this is not the case.
The Russian government has established a sequence in which various municipal or state-funded organizations in advance submit to the appropriate state bodies relevant applications for vacant positions for draftees sent to alternative service. Vacant seats can be very diverse.
You can work in the role of technical staff in a factory or factory, work with documentation, or you can try your hand at maintenance, etc. The lists of such vacancies are usually formed closer to the call and can be changed. When conscripts are sent to work as an ASC, the positions for them can be selected taking into account the professional skills of recruits, but this is more often a recommendation than a rule.
Almost in one hundred percent of cases, military duty - an alternative civilian service - will be held in the village where recruits live. Yet this is not the rule. Appointment to the AGS can be obtained in another locality. In such cases, recruits must be provided with a place in the local hostel.
Features alternative service
As already mentioned, alternative army service has many similarities with ordinary work.
So what are we talking about?
- About pay. It is true that wages are paid at the AGS. Moreover, the salary is charged actually that which should pay on those posts on which recruits work. Consequently, salaries will directly depend on where the recruits will be assigned to the service (organizations, positions, etc.). The only trouble is that, as a rule, enterprises submit applications just for those positions for which workers cannot find a day due to the small pay. Although there are exceptions in such cases, however, it is not possible to find out in advance about this;
- About employment contracts. Registration of conscripts under the Federal Law is carried out strictly in accordance with fixed-term labor contracts. This means that the relationship of recruits with organizations where they are waited for alternative service, regulates the labor code of the Russian Federation;
- On vacations, sick leave, weekends, etc. Following the logic of the preceding paragraph, all these attributes will have to be met when the direct service of the alternative service begins. Annual vacations, in accordance with the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, are paid and provided according to the established applications;
- About absenteeism at work. It is clear that any absenteeism will be considered a violation of labor discipline under the labor code. However, there is one moment in this place. This is stated in the law on the AGS: absenteeism will not be counted in the term of the AGS.
Replacement of military service alternative. Highlights When Applying
The law clearly states how the military service is replaced at the ACS, and the central point in this is that the young person is obliged to submit such an application just in time. The submission of an application to the military registration and enlistment office, in which the guy will be called upon and will conduct corresponding conscription activities with him, is carried out at least six months before the draft.
Specifications on terms should be viewed in current versions, which are determined by federal law. However, one should not forget the most important thing: it is advisable to start at least one year before conscription to think about replacing the army service with the ACS. This should be done in order to calmly, systematically prepare, solve all organizational issues.
What is the purpose of the law for such restrictive procedures for the timing of filing applications? This was done to be able to predict the necessary vacancies in factories, factories or institutions. As already mentioned, institutions also apply for six months or a year in which they indicate the positions and the number of vacancies for those who wish to do alternative service. For error-free work, we imposed time limits for which timely application can be made. When citizens submit applications later, most often they get rejected, and such decisions will be completely legitimate.
Statements are written in any form. The main thing is to indicate the reason why draftees are asking for the replacement of military service by an "alternative", with a detailed disclosure of those very "convictions." Statements are attached autobiography of young people, as well as the characteristics that will have to request from employers. They are received in personnel departments or in educational institutions.
When all the "bureaucracy" is observed, the refusal to recruits can be given only in cases with obvious contradictions, such as, for example, participation in the sports rifle section with simultaneous convictions not to touch the weapon.
There is a rather serious responsibility for illegal refusals of citizens to send them to the ACS, although with unreasonable refusals to comply with the deadlines for filing applications, lawyers are extremely rare.
Some statistics
Is alternative service popular in Russia and what does the statistics say about this? In 2016, less than three hundred young recruits went to alternative service. Statistics does not deceive: very few young people are interested in our country in alternative service. And this situation has not changed in the past 7 years.
What is the reason? One of the main reasons is that the youth remembers this at the very last minute, and the deadlines for submitting applications have already passed, and the guys have no choice, because the law requires either to send them to the service, or to recognize them as draft-graders and bring them to criminal liability.
In general, experts advise more to engage in improving legal literacy, to know their rights and obligations. The main thing that it is desirable not to forget is that every Russian draftee has the right to volunteer for alternative civilian service. Such an opportunity to its citizens is guaranteed by the Russian Constitution and legislation on the passage of ACS.
