OREANDA-NEWS. On September 03, 2008 Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with representatives of miner's collectives, reported the Official website www.kmu.gov.ua.

The Premier noted that the Parliament had voted not only for the Law on prestige of miners’ work but amendments to the 2008 State Budget guaranteeing its implementation. “As the Government promised to workers of the coal sphere the Miner’s Day was held in the Parliament,” the Prime Minister noted.

Yulia Tymoshenko assured miners that “these bills won’t be mere empty words” and also added that their presence made parliamentarians be focused on this issue and vote for the law not only in the first reading but in integrum.

You today – You, not we – did colossal deed for coal sphere by your coming and by your push on the Parliament,” the Prime Minister stressed.

According to Yulia Tymoshenko, the Law provides for advance of wages for employees of the sphere by 30% of minimum. With this purpose the Government allocated 486 million UAH of subsidies.

The Prime Minister commissioned the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, deputies, trade unions to take control of charging wages of every miner, in accordance with adopted law. “It is necessary to check a settlement account of every miner concerning advance of wages. Our task is to introduce all this into life and control wage of every miner,” the Head of Government emphasized.

The PM noted that against sovereign guarantees the banks would give 3.1 billion UAH which would be distributed among mines which need capital investments and technical re-equipment. “This will enable us to significantly increase volumes of production and lay the foundation for coal production of the beginning of the 90s. This is our purpose,” Yulia Tymoshenko stressed.

As the Prime Minister told, the voted budget amendments envisage 100 million UAH for paying credit interests. According to the Head of Government, the Cabinet of Ministers also cares for miners’ children.

In families with miner’s seniority and families where parents died, children who pay for studying will be transferred to budget education base. According to the Prime Minister, the Government also intends to initiate introduction of hourly pay of labour and it will be higher than present.