Desperate Ukrainian railway workers gathered in Kyiv
Ukrainian railway workers came out to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in Kyiv for a protest “The administration’s attack on the labor rights and social guarantees of railway workers – decisive trade union resistance.”
According to various sources, at least five hundred people took part in the rally, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to participants in the action organized by the railway workers’ trade union, the situation with respect to labor rights at Ukrzaliznytsia is unsatisfactory.
“We demand a reduction in the financial and tax burden on Ukrzaliznytsia, and the abolition of the land tax for Ukrzaliznytsia. An increase in the tax burden entails mass layoffs of workers. We call on the shareholder, represented by the Cabinet of Ministers, to listen to us,” the protesters said.
Also, the protesters complained about meager salaries - from 5 thousand hryvnia for young specialists who had just completed their studies.
“They have nowhere to work, young people are fleeing the country,” said one of the employees of the Kyiv-controlled Donetsk Railway.
“Wages did not rise even little by little. It says 25 percent, I understand that everything is not so good in the state, but at least throw us some bone at three percent every six months,” says another participant in the action.
Railway workers are also outraged that they do not receive additional pay for length of service, which was canceled back in 2017.
Let us note that no one came out to the protesters; they conveyed their demands to the Cabinet of Ministers through security and promised to resume the protests if the government ignored them.
Among the demands of the railway workers is to stop violating the industry agreement on increasing wages by at least 25%, and increase wages for all employees by revising tariff rates and official salaries, and ensure payment of remuneration based on the results of 2019.
In addition, the protesters demand the abolition of the part-time work regime, since many workers still work four days, although it was introduced as a temporary measure during the period of strict quarantine, and other social demands
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