Ukraine's workers protest in Kiev demanding higher wages

Thousands of state sector employees from all over Ukraine held a demonstration in central Kiev on Thursday, asking the authorities to increase the minimum wage in the country.

About 3,000 to 5,000 workers of the mining, energy, education and medical sectors joined the rally organized by the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine.

The workers gathered in front of the government building and marched towards the parliament, urging ministers and lawmakers to speed up adopting the decision on doubling the minimum wage for next year to about 124 U.S. dollars.

The protesters said that the salary of 62 dollars per month and delays in payments could not let them afford increased utility bills.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv invited the leaders of the protesters for talks, saying that the issue should be addressed via dialogues between the authorities and the trade unions.

This year, Ukraine has substantially increased its tariffs for gas, heating and electricity for domestic consumers to meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund under the loan program.

As the hike has triggered public anger, the Ukrainian government has encouraged the parliament to adopt the new salary formation system, which would double the minimum wage in the country starting from Jan. 1, 2017.

So far, the parliament has not approved the wage increase, with some lawmakers arguing it could be a heavy burden for public finances. Endi