Victor Yushchenko telephoned Donetsk governor Vadym Chuprun to discuss the social and economic situation in the region. The President also asked him how well Donetsk was prepared for the upcoming March vote, reiterating that he would demand that all executives should follow his Order on Democratic, Fair and Transparent Elections in 2006, the President press office informed.
The Head of State also said he was worried Donetsk had accumulated a 227.75-million-hryvnya salary debt, although in other regions of the country it had decreased by 15%.
Yushchenko ordered the Donetsk administration to pay off all debts and never allow them to accumulate again.
Chuprun told the President the local authorities were taking some measures to reduce the debt and informed him of results of recent inspections. In 2005, inspectors met with 9.508 directors of enterprises that delay salaries to their workers at 1.896 meetings of special commissions. Many of them were punished.
The President said delayed payments were inadmissible and stressed that government must improve employment, create jobs, and promote investment.
“Government must totally eradicate the practice of delayed salaries, this shameful legacy of the past years,” Yushchenko said.
