The level of wages and the state of repayment of wage arrears were again discussed during another operational meeting at the regional state administration.
According to the head of the main department of labor and social protection of the population, Volodymyr Kets, despite the fact that wage growth rates in the region are among the highest in Ukraine, its level continues to remain second-to-last in the country. The average wage of one full-time employee in April 2005 was 525.7 hryvnias, or 71.6 percent of its level in the country.
The lowest pay, as before, is in agriculture – 217 hryvnias. According to statistical data, a low level of pay was also recorded, oddly enough, among hotel and restaurant workers – 301.5 hryvnias; workers providing collective, public and personal services – 366.3 hryvnias; fishery workers – 373.5 hryvnias.
At the same time, as reported by the head of the territorial state labor inspection – chief state labor inspector of the region Natalia Safonova, over five months of the year state labor inspectors conducted 500 inspections of compliance with labor legislation at 431 enterprises, including 415 debtor enterprises. The total wage arrears at the inspected enterprises amounted to 6.1 million hryvnias. 212 inspection materials were sent to court; for failure to comply with the requirements of state labor inspectors, 67 managers were brought to administrative liability. 39 inspection materials were sent to law enforcement agencies; based on the results of their review, 12 criminal cases were opened.
According to the speakers, the main reason for low wages in prestigious and profitable sectors is the concealment of actual earnings and "salaries in envelopes."
Oleksandr PYROZHYK