TRADE UNIONS PICKETING THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE

Today, on 15 April, there was a picketing of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by national representative trade union associations: Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, Federation of Transport Workers’ of Trade Unions of Ukraine, Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, Association of All- Ukrainian Trade Unions and Trade Union Associations ‘Iednist’, Association of All- Ukrainian Autonomous Trade Unions.

The peaceful action was to draw the Government’s attention to problems in the economy, devaluation of hryvnia, total cost and falling twice of living standard of people causing negative reaction of workers, pensioners, almost every Ukrainian household.

Near the building of the Parliament, on behalf of 8 million of their member, trade unions of Ukraine presented an ultimatum to the Government in which they put in specific claims and made urgent proposals to the Verkhovna Rada.

Trade unions urge the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine:

• To stop anti-popular legislative initiatives that led economy into a deep stagnation, and the people to poverty;

• To reduce by half the price of gas for households, and direct on the needs of households only cheap Ukrainian gas;

• To adopt and made public a real programme on job creation by sectors providing jobs for unemployed and first jobs for young people;

• To use immediately accumulated in the State Treasury funds for full adjustment of 2014-2015 public sector workers’ wages, scholarships and pensions to veterans of labour;

• To conduct social dialogue and to define an annual plan of gradual approximation of basic social standards of Ukraine (living wage, minimum wage, minimum pension, etc.) to the level of European countries within the framework of preparation for integration with the European Union.

Trade unions propose the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

- To abolish tax and pension restrictions to working pensioners and others passing the draft law No. 2698;

- To adopt a law on adjustment of wages, pensions and other income (draft law No. 2883);

- To legislate objective setting of a fair living wage as a basic social standard by passing the draft law No. 2238;

- To restore funding at the expense of social insurance programmes of summer health improvement of children, sanatorium-and-spa treatment of workers, support or sanatoria enterprises and institutions by passing the draft law No. 2245;

- To cancel rental fee for gas for households (draft law No. 2835);

- To adopt a law on mandatory direction of gas extracted in Ukraine to households and heat and energy utilities.

Trade union ultimatum