System of Consumer Services for Population of Western Section of BAM Construction Areas (1974—1989)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the organization of consumer services for the population in the areas of construction of the BAM western section in 1974—1989. The features of the material and technical support of the household service, the problems of staffing, the structure and dynamics of services in cities and townships of builders are considered. It is noted that the network of consumer services enterprises was designed in a temporary version for the period of construction of the main railway. It is shown that the lag in the development of the public services system was caused by the sectoral mechanism of construction management, adjustments to design estimates, and a reduction in funding for civil construction. It is emphasized that, unlike other objects of the social sphere, which received the support of the all-Union ministries, the organization of the welfare service was under the territorial jurisdiction. In consumer services for the population of the construction site, such problems as a lack of production space, materials and components, an insignificant degree of mechanization and automation of labor, and a high staff turnover have been identified. Summing it up, the author comes to the conclusion that attempts to reform the industry in the second half of the 1980s could not significantly increase the efficiency of the household service in connection with the completion of the BAM construction and the simultaneous crisis of the Soviet system.