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13 July, 2005ICEM News Release No. 16/1999
The Ukrainian government has transferred some new funds to the country's cash-starved nuclear power stations. However, the sums involved are far from enough to resolve the ongoing crisis over the non-payment of nuclear workers' wages.
Information on the payments and other government moves has just been received by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) from the Ukrainian nuclear workers' union ATU, which is an ICEM affiliate.
Workers at Chernobyl and Ukraine's four other nuclear power stations will launch an indefinite strike on 22 March unless the wage backlog of more than 15 million US dollars is paid off by then.
A decree to provide new credits for the power stations, specifically in order to pay off the wage debt, was signed into force yesterday. But the total earmarked in the decree is 120 million hryvnia - and the sector's total debt has now risen to 150 billion hryvnia. Credits actually transferred to the power stations' bank accounts between 1 March and 9 March amounted to 4,319,000 hryvnia.
Prime Minister Valery Pustovoitenko met the directors of the nuclear power stations yesterday, and a further meeting between the Prime Minister and the unions was scheduled for today.
The ATU Presidium will meet on 17 March to examine the government's measures to date.
Meanwhile, the commission established last week to tackle the problem of Ukraine's massive unpaid electricity, heating, gas and coal bills has started work under the personal supervision of Deputy Prime Minister V. Kurachenko. The commission is empowered to cut off all supplies to major defaulters.
According to information received by the ATU, the commission has already decided to cut off some 18,000 Ukrainian enterprises.
Information on the payments and other government moves has just been received by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) from the Ukrainian nuclear workers' union ATU, which is an ICEM affiliate.
Workers at Chernobyl and Ukraine's four other nuclear power stations will launch an indefinite strike on 22 March unless the wage backlog of more than 15 million US dollars is paid off by then.
A decree to provide new credits for the power stations, specifically in order to pay off the wage debt, was signed into force yesterday. But the total earmarked in the decree is 120 million hryvnia - and the sector's total debt has now risen to 150 billion hryvnia. Credits actually transferred to the power stations' bank accounts between 1 March and 9 March amounted to 4,319,000 hryvnia.
Prime Minister Valery Pustovoitenko met the directors of the nuclear power stations yesterday, and a further meeting between the Prime Minister and the unions was scheduled for today.
The ATU Presidium will meet on 17 March to examine the government's measures to date.
Meanwhile, the commission established last week to tackle the problem of Ukraine's massive unpaid electricity, heating, gas and coal bills has started work under the personal supervision of Deputy Prime Minister V. Kurachenko. The commission is empowered to cut off all supplies to major defaulters.
According to information received by the ATU, the commission has already decided to cut off some 18,000 Ukrainian enterprises.