MINSK, 17 February (BelTA) – The level of salaries in the public sector in 2020 will be 80% of the country's average, BelTA learned from Belarusian Finance Minister Maksim Yermolovich on 17 February.
According to Maksim Yermolovich, in 2019 the Finance Ministry came up with additional resources in order to raise public sector salaries starting September. “The state budget came up with Br160 million. These resources were sent to the oblasts in order to pay salaries and finance expenses of the central state budget. In September-December 2019 the average salary in the public sector was 80% of the country's average. It means that the target set by the head of state was hit,” the official noted.
Maksim Yermolovich stated that in 2020 the target will be hit as well: all the necessary resources to pay salaries are part of the budgets of public sector organizations. “This is why the ratio of 80% to the country's average will be secured,” the official stressed.
The budget's appropriations for paying salaries in 2020 have been increased by 15%. The increase is roughly on par with the increase implemented in 2019. “The salary fund has increased by a total of 33% in the two years. It is way ahead of the inflation rate in the country and can be used to secure a substantial growth of real salaries in the public sector,” the finance minister noted.
In his words, if additional bonuses paid in late 2019 are disregarded, then the amount of money spent on paying public sector salaries in January is higher than that in November-December. “This is why all the resources are available. All the necessary funding gets appropriated. The Finance Ministry gets involved if the financing of individual public sector organizations needs more attention,” he added.
Maksim Yermolovich also reminded that pensions were raised in Belarus in August 2019. Back then pensions reached 40% of the country's average salary. The ratio was maintained in the rest of H2 2019. “The situation will be preserved in 2020 as well,” the finance minister noted.
