Rada finds way to pay miners full wage arrears for 2014

The Verkhovna Rada adopted a Law "On Amendments to the Annex No.3 to the Law of Ukraine "On State Budget of Ukraine for 2015" in the part related to the state support for the coal industry" (No.2376).

According to UNIAN correspondent, 269 deputies out of 348 registered in the session hall voted for the decision.

The bill aims to ensure timely and full payment of wages to the employees of state coal mines at the level stipulated by the legislation, the creation of safe working conditions in coal mines by resuming funding from the Ministry of Energy and the Coal Industry in the framework of the budget program "State support for coal mining companies to partially cover the costs of finished marketable coal production."

To this end it is planned to increase funding under the above mentioned budget program by UAH 400 million by reducing funding by the same amount under the budget program on "Restructuring the coal and peat industry" within the plan of expenses envisaged by the Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2015."

In addition, as noted in the explanatory note to the bill, currently wage arrears at state-owned coal mines in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities amount to UAH 247.8 million, resulting from the imbalance of the payment system in the energy sector in 2014 and the underfunding under the budget program "State support for coal mining companies to partially cover the costs of finished marketable coal production," by UAH 346 million.

"Repayment of debts for 2014 will be carried out within the expenses envisaged by the Law of Ukraine "On State Budget of Ukraine for 2015" under the budget program "Replenishment of current assets or increase in the statutory funds of coal mines to pay off wage arrears to employees, occurring as of January 1, 2015". However, this will not help solve the problem of salary payments in 2015," according to the note.