APPEAL
to the President of Ukraine P. Poroshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine A. Yatsenyuk, state and local authorities, employers
The Council of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Organization of Trade Unions of Social Sector Workers of Ukraine expresses the extreme concern of members of trade unions and trade union organizations about the situation that has developed in the state and in the Khmelnytskyi region due to the financial and economic crisis, which is painfully affecting all segments of the population.
Trade unions are outraged by the inept policy of the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Bank regarding "belt tightening", which has transformed into "cashless shock therapy" for Ukrainians, 85 percent of whom are poor, impoverished, and destitute citizens.
Recently, the incomes of the population have decreased by 5 times. The artificial freezing of salaries and pensions is taking place against the background of a sharp increase in prices for food, medicines, energy, an increase in utility tariffs, and the devaluation of the hryvnia. This policy has led to a catastrophic decline in the standard of living of wage earners, deepening poverty among young people, large families, and pensioners, which is a violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, in particular, the right to an adequate standard of living. The lack of transparency and openness in the activities of state authorities, social dialogue with trade unions and employers in the conditions of socio-political instability in the country is incomprehensible to citizens.
We understand that the country is currently in a state of military conflict in the East, but shifting the entire burden onto the shoulders of the working population is unacceptable! Solving the country's problems cannot be achieved by "shoving out the pockets" of ordinary workers, teachers, cultural workers, healthcare workers, social workers, low-level civil servants, and pensioners.
Today, the situation is extremely dangerous. The average level of wages and pensions is significantly lower than the UN poverty line of $5 a day, and half of workers and 95 percent of pensioners receive incomes significantly lower than the poverty line.
Trade unions demand to stop price increases, compensate for the depreciation of wages and pensions to the level of hryvnia devaluation and price increases.
We demand from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and authorities at all levels to ensure the constitutional right of every citizen to a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, to stop the practice of backstage decision-making and draft laws that lead to even greater impoverishment and deprivation of the population, to take real measures to stop the recession and increase production volumes, eradicate corruption and the "shadow" economy, stabilize the foreign exchange market, implement real social dialogue, and ensure effective control over the setting of prices for essential products, medicines, services, and energy sources.
We appeal to employers not to solve the financial problems of enterprises at the expense of employees, to pay their labor on time, to compensate for the decline in the purchasing power of wages, and to prevent the reduction of social benefits and guarantees.
