Victor Yushchenko has sent a letter to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych to criticize his government for failing to pay off budget salary debts, according to the President`s press-office.
“The salary debt has grown by 11% in the past month and is now almost UAH 895 million,” he said, voicing his concerns about the growing debt at state companies, particularly those controlled by the Energy Ministry and Industry Ministry. The number of those who are not paid or paid with delays has reached 253,000 and the debt is being gradually paid off only in three Ukrainian regions, he said.
He believes it shows that there is a “lack of efficient legal, economic and managerial mechanisms to resolve this mostly moral problem.”
Mr. Yushchenko said that it was incumbent on the government of Ukraine to observe and protect the constitutional right of its citizens to be paid on time.
He also suggested that the government tackle the issue at its next meeting and involve representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, trade unions, control institutions and employers.
