Republic

MINSK, 30 December (BelTA) - The Government of Belarus, national associations of employers and the trade unions signed a general agreement for 2011-2013, BelTA has learnt. When preparing the general agreement there were no big disputes between the parties. “We proceeded from the real possibilities of the Belarusian economy, promising areas for its development adopted at the Fourth All-Belarus Congress, and the objectives set out by the head of state,” First Vice Premier of Belarus Vladimir Semashko said. The previous general agreement was implemented in a difficult period in the wake of the global financial crisis, the chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), Leonid Kozik, said. According to him, the Belarusian government made every effort to implement this agreement. With regard to the agreement for 2011-2013, Leonid Kozik noted that during its preparation “it was difficult to reconcile the positions so that that the projections were feasible.” Of course, the trade unions wanted bigger wage increases, lower tariffs for housing and other services to the public. “But we came to a compromise based on real development prospects of the Belarusian economy. People will have higher income, pensions and benefits. The government has developed a number of measures to support low-income and young families,” he said. Leonid Kozik also added: “We were especially interested in the minimum wage. We believe that it can not be small. It must be constantly increased so that the number of low-income citizens would decrease.” Leonid Kozik also thanked the associations of employers for their principled stance regarding the preservation of jobs and businesses. In turn, chairman of the Confederation of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (Employers) Anatoly Kharlap thanked the government for the support of various sectors of the economy. According to him, the new agreement is a new level of responsibility of all parties. “When there is a common approach, there is a compromise solution, then there is confidence that we will reach the projected targets,” stressed. Introducing a draft general agreement, Deputy Economy Minister of Belarus Andrei Tur said that the agreement defines economic policies, wages, incomes and living standards, social security, labor market development and also employment, occupational and environmental safety guarantees. The document is important for the majority of the population. Under the agreement, the GDP annual growth should correspond to the parameters of the social and economic development of Belarus for 2011-2015. The parties of social partnership will jointly be working to promote economic development, strengthen the financial position of its branches by creating a macroeconomic environment conducive to economic growth, and improve the standards of living. For these purposes investment projects, technology-intensive industries and sectors ensuring the economic growth will be encouraged. Strengthening the financial situation of organizations remains an important task. Active social policy will be pursued to further enhance the level and quality of life. Its major objectives are to increase real incomes and provide effective support to socially vulnerable categories of citizens.

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