Confederation of Trade Unions will monitor living standards

The trade unions say there is a large number of problems that remained outside the Government's attention, partially because 2009 was marked by many politic events. According to Oleg Budza, president of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova, the trade unions' request to raise the tariff pay to the level of the salary in the national economy has not been discussed since 2008 though the cost of living increased significantly. In a news conference on February 9, representatives of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova made public the results of the trade unions' work in 2009 and the major objectives set for this year, Info-Prim Neo reports. Oleg Budza said that at the insistence of the trade unions, the minimum guaranteed salary in the real sector of the economy was raised to 6.51 lei an hour or 1,110 lei a month from February 1, 2010, regardless of the pattern of ownership and the organizational form. “The Confederation participated actively in drafting Moldova's economic recovery and stabilization for 2009-2011,” Buzda said, underlining that the given document includes a number of proposals formulated by the trade unions, such as the reduction in VAT on construction works, equalizing of the retirement age for all the categories of pensioners, the increase in the lump-sum payment given at the birth of the first child, and others. The trade unionists said they do not agree with the way in which the charges were increased at the start of this year. “We consider that before raising the tariffs the authorities should work out a mechanism for paying compensations. Such a thing was not done,” Oleg Budza said. As to the social protection measures, the Confederation's president said the trade unions make efforts to introduce meal tickets. “A relevant bill was submitted for examination one year ago, but nothing has been yet done. Among some of the causes are the unwillingness to stop receiving salaries 'in envelopes' and to reduce the share of the underground economy,” he said.