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Ukraine president intends to raise salaries, pensions

Besides, it is planned to raise monetary allowances for the military

KIEV, February 16 (Itar-Tass) — Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich intends to raise pensions as well as salaries to state employees and military, the Ukrainian Dzerkalo Tyzhnya (Mirror of the Week) reports on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, at a session with the management of the Poltava region the president said the amount of minimum pensions must be raised this year to the level of the living wage. Yanukovich plans to raise minimum pensions to 1,060 hryvnas (over 130 US dollars), and salaries to state employees by an equivalent of 100 dollars four to five months before the parliamentary election, due in October.

Besides, it is planned to raise monetary allowances for the military. In particular, the newspaper quoted the defense minister as telling a narrow circle about intentions to raise salaries to lieutenants to 8,000 hryvnas (1,000 US dollars).

Earlier on Thursday, Yanukovich also said that the 2012 state budget would be reconsidered after the first three months of the year.

As of January 1, 2012, average pensions in Ukraine were 1,246.34 hryvnas (over 150 dollars). However, an absolute majority of 13.8 millions of Ukrainian pensioners receive less than 1,000 hryvnas.