Yatsenyuk created hell on the Ukrainian railway
Kyiv, December 05 (Navigator, Vladimir Mikhailov) – The situation on the Ukrainian railways is critical, the rights of employees are being violated. This was stated at a press conference in Kyiv by the chairman of the Free Trade Union of Machinists of Ukraine, Semyon Karikov.
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The trade union is particularly concerned about the ongoing staff reductions.
“At first there was an idea to lay off 100 thousand people,” says Semyon Karikov. “Since April, the number of employees has decreased by 9 people.” People are fired without approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure, which is a violation of the law.
“I was at the ITF congress, the International Transport Federation, where a resolution was adopted on the problems of the Middle East and it was clearly stated that layoffs lead to unemployment, poverty and, ultimately, stimulate terrorism and banditry. Our country, unfortunately, has already faced this,” says the trade unionist.
Those who are not fired are forced to work in a “sweatshop.” In violation of the Labor Code, working 12-hour shifts has become the norm. This makes it possible to reduce the number of locomotive crews and reduce the cost of transportation, but leads to premature loss of health and early deaths of employees, and also poses a threat to traffic safety.
One of the reasons for the crisis in the industry is incompetent management. The current managers of Ukrzaliznytsia do not have specialized education and the necessary experience, Semyon Karikov is convinced.
“The last time a normal minister was Kirpa. The last time Vinsky spoke about the wages of railway workers. We are led mainly by humanists.
You will say, a minister is a political figure. But the minister must thoroughly know all the processes, go from an ordinary person. And today our so-called politicians are young blondes.
And at the same time there is talk about reform. We call reform the arrival of a new government that also wants to snatch something. Today's Ukrzaliznytsia has a lot of departments and departments that have nothing to do with transportation. They are needed only to employ these ambitious youth. Which at one time the oligarchs and those in power sent abroad to study, now she has returned and needs to be accommodated. She won’t go to the depot to work as a mechanic. And they tell us that these ambitious young people with foreign education will “lead Ukraine.” In my opinion, it will most likely lead her somewhere,” says Semyon Karikov.
The commercialization of the railway is to the detriment of passengers.
“We had cross-subsidies all the time; part of the income from transporting cargo went to transporting passengers. Everything was fine, the railway performed social functions. This was until the carriage became private. Why does Akhmetov need a passenger who cannot fit into a commuter train? The question was even raised to stop cross-subsidization. They say that in Europe itself it has been removed, but there the state is compensating for the costs associated with suburban passenger transportation.
In all the years of Ukraine since 1991, not a single car has been purchased at public expense, although this is required by the law on railway transport. And now, in order for the private owner of this carriage not to pay extra money, let’s remove this subsidy and make sure that everyone pays for himself,” says Semyon Karikov.
Yatsenyuk unleashed hell on Ukrainian railways.