The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova is concerned about the recent rises in the prices of baked products, dairy products, vegetables and other food products and in oil products. The trade unions consider the poorest sections of the population should not be left without support in this situation, IPN reports.

“It cannot be explained why the prices of baked products go up when we have important growths in the volume of harvested grain crops. According to trade unionists, the state should take measures to subsidize production and to provide the population with “social” bread that would be accessible to the persons with low incomes (pensioners, unemployed persons, persons with special needs, etc.)” says the Confederation’s statement.

This notes that the rise in oil products has an avalanche effect and leads to an increase in all the prices and tariffs, primarily in the costs in transport, agriculture, the technological processes, where fuel is used in large quantities. All these rises result in the diminution of the purchasing power of salaries and the impoverishment of the population.

The Confederation calls on the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to take urgent measures. It suggests adopting a law on the regulation of prices and tariffs, with mechanisms for setting these for bare essentials, taking social protection measures in case of price and tariff rises, setting the minimum official salary at 3,100 lei at least and increasing the minimum guaranteed salary in the real sector of the economy up to 3,100 lei. This size was agreed by trade unions and employers at national level.

The Confederation also proposes working out a mechanism for compensating the purchasing power of social benefits (pensions, scholarships, allowances, etc.), which are used in the biannual indexation in accordance with the rate of inflation.