Ukraine debt on salaries reaches USD 90 mln

The Ukrainian government debt in paying salaries has reached UAH 2 bln (USD 90.1 mln), Social Policy Minister Pavlo Rozenko told the 5 Kanal news site on Aug. 10. Part of the debt was the result of the armed conflict in Donbas, he said, while another factor was state enterprises falsely blaming the conflict for an inability to pay. “We have declared war against employers without a conscience,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: With his comments, Rozenko has tried to spin an embarrassing situation to his advantage. Yet few things can be as detrimental for public support for the government as the failure to pay salaries on a timely basis. The government needs to address this basic problem to cool rising discontent, we believe.