According to the economy ministry of the unrecognized republic, the price of electricity in Transnistria will surge by 62 percent in 2009, Info-Prim Neo’s special correspondent reports. Concomitantly with this hike, the price of natural gas delivered by the Russian giant Gazprom will rise 18 percent. At the same time, the official minimum salary, which now stands at approximately $90, will be raised by 40 percent. As Transnistria’s Confederation of Labor Unions reported, from the beginning of this year the growth of prices has amounted to 59 percent. The population’s expenses on utility bills have risen by 31 percent. There are now approximately 150,000 employees and 135,000 pensioners officially registered in the Transnistrian region. 10,000 employees that work at enterprises receive a paycheck that equals or is below the officially established minimum living level. Salary debts amount to 115 Transnistrian rubles (about $14 million).