PM Groysman defends doubling of natural gas price for households amid utilities price hikes protests

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Minister for Social Policy Andriy Reva have discussed current issues of social protection after the price for natural gas has doubled at a meeting with the trade union representatives, government portal has reported.

"The market price of natural gas set in Ukraine will boost energy efficiency in the country, increase Ukrainian natural gas production and tackle corruption in the natural gas sector. Overall, the losses in the budget because of a number of different price ranges for natural gas have reached UAH 53 billion," Groysman has told trade union representatives.

"Meanwhile, the main objective for the government is to raise the wages of citizens and reform the wages system in Ukraine," he noted. The government will propose to Ukrainian parliament a system that will provide a fair wages system in the autumn, which will be worked out jointly with the trade unions, the premier said.

tl