​TRANSNISTRIA FAILED TO COPE WITH REPAYING SALARIES - TIRASPOL OMBUDSMAN

The situation on the labor market worsened in 2014 and the government failed to pay the established amount of salary to budget sphere workers, said Commissioner for Human Rights in Transnistria Vasily Kalko on Wednesday while presenting the 2014 report on situation with respecting and protection of human rights and freedoms in the region to the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan republic (PMR) supreme soviet [parliament].

According to the PMR parliament’s website, he reminded that the incomplete working week with a reduced financing was introduced in Transnistria for the period of several months in 2014.

“As of December 31, bailiffs had over 3 thousand executive documents. The trend of growth in arrears on salary is being preserved from year to year. In 2014, it went up by 2 million rubles more, almost reaching 19 million”, said the ombudsman.

He drew the parliamentarians’ attention to the fact that if earlier the debtors were the idle enterprises, now those actively working are neither paying to their workers.

“Currently, among debtors on salary payment there are enterprises, which are stably working in two or even three shifts, they produce goods, but it is unknown where the money from its selling goes, while the companies are every time saying they have no money”, said Kaliko, standing for toughening of punishment for non-payment of salaries.

According to him, if in Russia the fine for failure of timely pay workers reaches 500 thousand rubles (US$10 thousand), then in Transnistria it is much lower.

As for the situation in the penitentiary system, the shortcomings of which the international experts are all the time pointing at, the ombudsman said that the norms of rations are strictly being observed.

“I agree that the conditions of detention should be human, but this does not mean prisoners need more care than children. In current socio-economic situation, not all the pensioners or patients can allow themselves to buy meat or milk, while prisoners are provided with these products”, said Kaliko.

Deputies took into consideration the report, sharing the ombudsman’s concerns.

“In 2014, the budget workers were receiving partial salary, they were tranbsferred to an incomplete working week, the cost of kindergarten fee went up. Is it not a violation of our rights? We have the right to live, to get social assistance, our children have the right to go to kindergarten”, concluded head of the parliamentary standing committee for economy Oleg Vasilatii.