Khaltura (USSR)
| Khaltura | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Location: USSR | ||
| Definition: Informal side job offering extra income or a low-quality product of the side job | ||
| Keywords: USSR – FSU – Moonlighting – Employment – Work – Tax avoidance – Getting things done – Improvisation | ||
| Clusters: Informal entrepreneurship – Survival – System made me do it | ||
| Author: Taisiia Nahorna | ||
| Affiliation: Alumna, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK | ||
| Website: Profile page on LinkedIn | ||
By Taisiia Nahorna, Alumna, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK
| The practice of khaltura emerged during the Soviet times as a response to the rigidity of the system and became deeply rooted in the culture of Soviet Republics; it does not lose its relevance decades after the collapse of the Union. Today the word khaltura has two meanings:
1) It describes an informal side job offering extra income; the word is also used to describe the extra income earned from such a job. 2) It is also used in reference to the low-quality product of accomplished work, produced carelessly or in haste (Kuznetsov 2014). Khaltura is an unplanned side job that offers an opportunity to earn extra money for a task unrelated to one’s main job. The khalturshchik (the person engaged in khaltura) is usually unqualified and paid less than a professional worker. In turn, the ‘employer’ benefits from getting the job done quickly and at a lower price than it would take if he had hired a professional legally. An example of khaltura can be a request for an artist to paint walls for additional income. Another common type of khaltura was unloading trains as the task had to be done quickly and people were unofficially hired to perform it. |
The meaning of the word khaltura has shifted with time. Presumably, khaltura originates from the Latin word chartulatium. In the fifteenth century, this word described a list with names of the dead to be prayed for. In the seventeenth century, it shifted to describing wake ceremonies and subsequently free food (Semenov, 2003). From the clergy, the word then migrated to the theatre community, where it was associated with side jobs for actors (Kartsevskiĭ 2000: 213). Its current meaning emerged in the twentieth century. The word khaltura was taken from the Russian language and adopted in the spoken languages of the Soviet republics: haltuura in Estonian or xaltura in Azerbaijani. It was also adopted in the languages from the same language family – Ukrainian, Belorussian, Polish.
Regardless of khaltura being a profitable practice, it has its disadvantages. Khaltura bears several risks both for the khalturshchik and the person who hires him. Firstly, khaltura is a form of tax evasion as no official contracts are signed, leaving both the worker and the employer as tax fraudsters. Secondly, it can result in a poorly done task as the worker is usually unqualified or is not granted enough time to accomplish the task properly. Also, the task might not be done on time, if at all, as the parties do not count on any legally binding document. The khalturshchik, for his part, receives no health or social protection as no contract is signed or insurance provided. For instance, in case of an accident no one is held responsible and the worker cannot take any measures if the ‘employer’ refuses to pay for the job.
Nevertheless, this practice remains a popular way of getting things done. It is a relatively easy way to earn extra income as it does not require any qualifications or special education. It also provides an immediate profit after the task is accomplished, as opposed to regular full-time employment, where the salary is paid on fixed dates. The ‘employer’ usually hires a khalturshchik because the service is not offered in the official market or is too pricy. The khalturshchik could accept up to twice less money for the same service (Rambler 2018).
The practice of khaltura emerged in the Soviet system as a response to economic constraints. It demonstrated that without seeking side jobs, even educated professionals were not able to earn enough money to meet a desired standard of living. On one hand, the practice of khaltura was prohibited by the government. All spheres of life were regulated by the government and individual freedoms were restricted. Salaries were established by the state. Opportunities for career development were also limited as people did not have the freedom to choose their place of work. The government allocated a set number of employment opportunities in educational institutions and graduates were then assigned to workplaces all over the Soviet Union (Seichas.ru 1968). Casual things as simply applying for a different job to get a higher salary were unimaginable in the Soviet reality. Moreover, behind the Iron Curtain, seeking job opportunities abroad was not an option. The government restricted the development of the business sector by banning all types of private initiatives. Paradoxically, this level of state regulation created an environment where it was impossible to survive without engaging in practices such as khaltura, which were considered objectionable by the state itself.
Khaltura and shabashka are sometimes used as synonyms, but there are important differences between them. Shabashka denotes ‘moonlighting brigades undertaking short, illegal or semi-legal contracts in the Soviet Union’ (Erofeev 2019) and refers to a seasonal job, related to manual labour, mostly popular in the areas of construction and renovation. Khaltura depends more on the opportunity than on the season and includes both manual and intellectual labour: a quick renovation task such as hanging wallpaper, but also writing a text. Shabashka is planned, can be of semi-legal nature and requires migration of the labour force. Khaltura is spontaneous and does not require migration of the worker. It is not perceived as illegal but as a socially acceptable bending of the rules. Shabashniki can work for the state (as in kolkhozy, the Soviet collective farms) whereas khalturshchiki usually work for a private individual. Shabashniki form groups to work for long periods of time whereas khalturshchiki work individually on relatively short-term tasks. Today the term khaltura is widely used and shabashka is losing its relevance.
| Khaltura | Shabashka | |
|---|---|---|
| Period | Year-round | Seasonal |
| Labour type | Any | Manual |
| Duration | Short-term | Long-term |
| Nature | Spontaneous | Planned |
| Labour migration | Not required | Required |
| Performance | Individual | Team |
| Relevance of the term | Still relevant | Losing relevance |
Khaltura is indirectly related to other informal practices, with each practice supporting the other. One example is vzaimnyi zachet, whereby someone gives a recommendation to a khalturshchik, hoping that someday the khalturshchik will make a helpful recommendation in return. Also, blat can support khaltura in ensuring the trust of khalturshchik through personal contacts.
Khaltura has been described as a ‘mysterious, typically Soviet, unseen in the civilized world phenomenon, where low quality is the key precondition of high income’ (Dovlatov 1999). The fact that khaltura does not lose its relevance within the Russian context today was emphasized in Dmitry Bykov’s satiric political poem that comments on Putin’s imprisonment of a political critic: ‘we have a generous nature, which encompasses both villainy and honour; we have khaltura and we have kultura [Russian word for culture]…’ (Bykov 2014).
The practice of moonlighting is global, but the way the side job is named in different languages reflects the culture of the country and its attitude to labour. Within the English-speaking world, the closest word to khaltura is ‘gig’, ‘side gig,’ ‘hustle,’ defined as ‘a job, often a temporary one’ (Cambridge Dictionary 2020a) or ‘a piece of work or a job that you get paid for doing in addition to doing your main job’ (Cambridge Dictionary 2020b). In Vietnam, the practice of taking a second job is called nghề tay trái, which means ‘left-hand job’, implying inferiority to the main job. This negative connotation is also found in the second meaning of khaltura in Russian. Brazilian Portuguese also has an informal word for a side gig – bico. It does not have a direct translation but designates a quick informal job for extra money, with no contract and consequently no tax obligations. In some languages, khaltura is simply called an extra or second job: trabajo extra (secundario) in Mexican Spanish, ekstra (ikinci) iş in Turkish. In Romanian, a side job is called pe langa – which means ‘next to’. In the Tunisian dialect of Arabic, khaltura is called dabbara el’-raas, which means to organize one’s head or behaviour (in a way that would yield extra income). See also rad na crno.
References
Bykov, D. 2014. ‘Dmitriĭ Bykov: khaltura est’ i est’ kultura’, Sobesednik.ru., 13 March, https://sobesednik.ru/dmitriy-bykov/20140313-hodorkovskiy-na-maydane
Cambridge Dictionary. 2020a. ‘Gig’, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gig
Cambridge Dictionary. 2020b. ‘Side Hustle’, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/side-hustle
Dovlatov, S. 1999. ‘Trudnoe slovo’, Sergeidovlatov.com, http://www.sergeidovlatov.com/books/trudnoes.html
Erofeev, N. 2019. ‘Shabashniki (USSR, Russia)’, Global Informality Project, http://www.in-formality.com/wiki/index.php?title=Shabashniki_(USSR,_Russia)
Kartsevskiĭ, S. 2000. Iz lingvisticheskogo nasledii͡a. Moscow: I͡azyki russkoĭ kulʹtury
Kuznetsov, S. 2014. Bol'shoĭ tolkovyĭ slovar' russkogo i͡azyka. Saint Petersburg: Norint
Rambler. 2018. ‘U kogo v SSSR byla samaya vysokaya zarplata’, https://finance.rambler.ru/money/40440503-u-kogo-v-sssr-byla-samaya-vysokaya-zarplata/
Seichas.ru. 1968. ‘Prikaz Minvuza SSSR ot 18.03.1968 n 220’, https://www.lawmix.ru/docs_cccp/6149
Semenov, A. 2003. Ėtimologicheskiĭ slovarʹ russkogo i͡azyka. Moscow: IUNVES.