The Russian government is trying to prevent future unrest over unpaid wages and unemployment.
Many towns in Russia depend on one or two factories, but as companies struggle with the impact of the financial crisis entire populations are suffering.
In one small town in Russia's southern Urals, more than 600 people have lost their jobs with many more facing poverty.
Al Jazeera's Neave Barker reports from Zlatoust, in the Chelyabinsk region.
