Since the beginning of 2015, 60 enterprises of the Kharkiv region have paid ₴34.9 million arrears of wages. This was reported by the press service of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration.
Despite the payments, wage arrears grew by 51% for the first eight months of ongoing year in the region. In the beginning of January, the arrears of wages were ₴115.3 million, at the moment this amount increased to ₴174.3 million. In the Donetsk and Lugansk regions the situation is even worse. The arrears of wages varies around ₴300-500 million there.
The regional administration reassured: only state-owned enterprises are the big debtors in the region currently; the problems with payments for such enterprises are common and they will always remain. Among them are State Enterprise “Kharkiv Building Design Bureau of engines”, Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet named after N.V. Lysenko, municipal enterprise “Heating networks” and others.
The debtor-companies’ managers explain why there are debts. First of all, the debts arise from the discrepancy between the existing tariffs and the actual cost of the services companies provide, and secondly, because of reduced demand for their services.
Recall that in Ukraine, in January-August 2015, wage arrears grew by 52%. These statistics were presented at the International Economic Forum in Kiev with a reference to the Ministry of Economy Development. Companies are still bound to pay the Ukrainians more than ₴2 billion throughout the country.
