Today in Lutsk, outside the walls of the Volyn Regional State Administration, a protest rally was held against the reduction of the minimum wage level from 237 to 205 hryvnias, organized by the regional organizations of "Our Ukraine," the CPU, the SPU, and "Batkivshchyna." About 150 Volyn residents took part in the protest action. The opposition's slogans at the rally were: "From a state of clans - to a state of the people!", "Down with the Kuchma regime!", "Frenchman, where is the promised cheap bread?", "No to wage reduction," "Down with the anti-people government of Yanukovych-Azarov!", "Kryvytskyi, why are utility services becoming more expensive?" and others.
Speakers at the rally included Rostyslav Chapiuk - First Secretary of the Volyn Regional Committee of the SPU, Oleksandr Viktorov - head of the city organization "Batkivshchyna," Volodymyr Vorobei - Second Secretary of the Regional Committee of the CPU, Volodymyr Banada - deputy of the regional council ("Our Ukraine" faction), Bohdan Shyba - deputy head of the regional headquarters of "Our Ukraine," and others.
At the rally, criticism was voiced toward the Yanukovych government and opinions were expressed about the inadmissibility of reducing the minimum wage level from 237 to 205 hryvnias. Issues were also raised regarding rising prices for bread and utility services, nationwide presidential elections, tax inspection checks of LuAZ, the legality of providing an apartment to the first deputy head of the Volyn Regional State Administration, and others.
According to the protesters, similar actions are taking place today in all regional centers of Ukraine and outside the walls of the Verkhovna Rada. Thus, according to a report from the regional headquarters of "Our Ukraine," 90 Volyn residents set off from Volyn to Kyiv to participate in protest actions. No reports of any provocations or problems in the movement of protesters on their way to Kyiv were received.