Belarusian state takes time helping the needy
The state is not going to allocate any additional moneyed assistance to families having many children, budget employees or students. Some enterprises do not even want to pay wages people have already worked off. The authorities claim that our state is socially oriented. ERB has tried to find out whether it was evident for the needy categories of the population and budget employees during the crisis.
According to the head of the press service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Halina Trafimenka, the state is already allocating huge assistance to families having many children and young families to increase it because of the devaluation of the rouble and the crisis. However, she said that the sum would be increasing during the year. But she did not answer when it would happen.
Halina Trafimenka: “There are no additional assistance programmes. Out system is very stable and it corresponds to such programmes as “The national programme of demographic security” and “Belarusian Children”. There are also sub-programmes and other kinds of assistance. We increased the sum of the assistance allocated to families bringing up children under 3 last year. We pay them when their first child is born, then we pay again when the second child is born… Thus, our system is stable and there is no reason to take any additional measures. The only thing I can promise is that the sum will increase by the end of the year. However, I cannot tell you when it is going to happen”.
A mother of three children, Minsker Tatstsyana Kuryla, confirmed that they had not received any additional assistance due to the crisis in an interview with ERB. However, she was not as sure that the sum was enough as the official from the Ministry of Labour was.
Tatatayana Kuryla: “It is not that much – 170 thousands per one child a month. Plus 40 thousands to spend on diapers costing 60-80 thousands. I have visited the territorial social centre today. Families like ours used to be able to buy goods with a 20% discount there. Now we can’t. If my husband did not earn as much as he does, we would not be able to make ends meet! But he makes enough money for us to survive”.
Budget employees have not received any assistance either. The deputy headmaster of Maladzechna school #7 Volha Karalyova said that their salaries had been increased by 5% on January 1. But is had nothing to do with the crisis: it had been promised to teachers in the middle of 2008. However, the pedagogue is not sure whether she has started making more money or not.
Volha Karalyova: “I have received my salary but I am confused about it all! Some re-calculation was made. I know that the system is very complicated. I tried to understand it and our accountants tried to explain it to me… She said that some index had to be reduced when salaries were increased. Probably this is the reason why they increase our salaries and we do not see the result. To tell you the truth: I have not noticed any changes after this increase either. Probably the salary got increased by 50 thousands”.
According to a third-year student of the BSU faculty of journalism Illya, the scholarship has been increased by 20 thousand. However, it had nothing to do with the crisis just as teachers salaries didn’t.
Іllya: “We have received this scholarship only once. It was increased by 20 thousands. But I think it is connected with the previous information about the increase. I know that students from families having many children can apply for social assistance. But I have never seen how it works”.
If the state does not pay any additional money and does not promise anything else because of the crisis, it thinks about other categories of citizens even less. According to the head of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union Vasil Korabau, there is no state plan of assistance for employees having to agree to work half-time. Some enterprises have even refused to pay their employees although they have already worked everything off.
Vasіl Korabau: “I think the sate has not prepared any system of assistance for them. Everything is being done on the quiet. There is such an enterprise – “Mastydreu”. The order of its administration issued at the end of the past year did not correspond to our legislation. Workers got underpaid. Everything had been quiet until we found it out. A commission of the Labour Department arrived together with the State Control Committee – then people received part of their wages”.
According to the head of the press service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Halina Trafimenka, the state is already allocating huge assistance to families having many children and young families to increase it because of the devaluation of the rouble and the crisis. However, she said that the sum would be increasing during the year. But she did not answer when it would happen.
Halina Trafimenka: “There are no additional assistance programmes. Out system is very stable and it corresponds to such programmes as “The national programme of demographic security” and “Belarusian Children”. There are also sub-programmes and other kinds of assistance. We increased the sum of the assistance allocated to families bringing up children under 3 last year. We pay them when their first child is born, then we pay again when the second child is born… Thus, our system is stable and there is no reason to take any additional measures. The only thing I can promise is that the sum will increase by the end of the year. However, I cannot tell you when it is going to happen”.
A mother of three children, Minsker Tatstsyana Kuryla, confirmed that they had not received any additional assistance due to the crisis in an interview with ERB. However, she was not as sure that the sum was enough as the official from the Ministry of Labour was.
Tatatayana Kuryla: “It is not that much – 170 thousands per one child a month. Plus 40 thousands to spend on diapers costing 60-80 thousands. I have visited the territorial social centre today. Families like ours used to be able to buy goods with a 20% discount there. Now we can’t. If my husband did not earn as much as he does, we would not be able to make ends meet! But he makes enough money for us to survive”.
Budget employees have not received any assistance either. The deputy headmaster of Maladzechna school #7 Volha Karalyova said that their salaries had been increased by 5% on January 1. But is had nothing to do with the crisis: it had been promised to teachers in the middle of 2008. However, the pedagogue is not sure whether she has started making more money or not.
Volha Karalyova: “I have received my salary but I am confused about it all! Some re-calculation was made. I know that the system is very complicated. I tried to understand it and our accountants tried to explain it to me… She said that some index had to be reduced when salaries were increased. Probably this is the reason why they increase our salaries and we do not see the result. To tell you the truth: I have not noticed any changes after this increase either. Probably the salary got increased by 50 thousands”.
According to a third-year student of the BSU faculty of journalism Illya, the scholarship has been increased by 20 thousand. However, it had nothing to do with the crisis just as teachers salaries didn’t.
Іllya: “We have received this scholarship only once. It was increased by 20 thousands. But I think it is connected with the previous information about the increase. I know that students from families having many children can apply for social assistance. But I have never seen how it works”.
If the state does not pay any additional money and does not promise anything else because of the crisis, it thinks about other categories of citizens even less. According to the head of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union Vasil Korabau, there is no state plan of assistance for employees having to agree to work half-time. Some enterprises have even refused to pay their employees although they have already worked everything off.
Vasіl Korabau: “I think the sate has not prepared any system of assistance for them. Everything is being done on the quiet. There is such an enterprise – “Mastydreu”. The order of its administration issued at the end of the past year did not correspond to our legislation. Workers got underpaid. Everything had been quiet until we found it out. A commission of the Labour Department arrived together with the State Control Committee – then people received part of their wages”.
