The failed policies of the current government have driven the wage arrears in Ukraine to the level we observed in the beginning of the last decade. Thus, in May 2015 wage arrears increased compared to April by 21% and since the beginning of 2015 - by 37%. MP Serhiy Lovochkin (OPPOSITION BLOC) said this in a statement.

“As of June 1 this year, wage arrears exceeded UAH 1.8 billion. The last time such a figure was recorded (excluding Crimea and problematic areas in eastern Ukraine), was in the winter of 2002,” the MP said.

“Thanks to government incompetence Ukraine is gradually returning to the 90’s,” Serhiy Lovochkin noted. “Last year we again had to deal with massive blackouts, rapid growth of utility tariffs, cuts in social payments, currency devaluation, rising street crime and wage arrears,” the politician said.

Failure to pay wages along with soaring food prices, utility tariffs, medicine and gasoline is a direct manifestation of how the government actually cares for their citizens, the MP believes. “What kind of reform can the government talk about, if people are not paid even the meager wages they have to completely spend on food, utilities and medicine?” Serhiy Lovochkin noted.

He stressed that the Opposition Bloc demanded from the government to immediately and fully pay wage arrears to public employees, as well as carry out the indexation of wages and pensions.