Protest actions of BSF employees go on in Sevastopol

21.10.2010 Protest actions related to Black Sea Fleet (BSF) continue in Sevastopol; employees of defense enterprises demand to pay off wages.

Picketers of BSF Building Dept got together near BSF engineering services building on Tuesday; they're going to picket building of city procuracy on Friday.

Last week BSF employees also arranged protest actions downtown Sevastopol.

Then employees of BSF Building Dept were received in audience by representatives of Russian defense ministry who tried to find solutions how to redeem wage arrears to the staff of this bankrupted company. The debt makes UAH 6 mln. Totally, 713 persons have not get wages since Nov 2008. Through this time they have been working 3 days and then even one day a week.

As was said to New Region by Vladimir Gerasimovich, trade union chairman of BSF Building Dept, director of Sevastopol branch of JSC "Main Department of Troops Welfare" Valery Bylina had appeared at the 100-man picket.

"Moscow does not refuse to pay, but debt redemption mechanism is still uncertain. None of Ukrainian banks will pass the payment until an enterprise has tax debts", said Gerasimovich.

An initiative group of BSF Building Dept employees was made up after the meeting; the group will discuss variants of debt redemption with appropriate authorities and make a decision.

JSC "Main Department of Troops Welfare" was established on the basis of GlavVoenStroi which settled such problems in all fleets, said Gerasimovich. But that was easier to do in Russia, because building departments possessed property which was sold to pay debts. Being located in Ukraine, Black Sea Fleet Building Department has no such property.

Meanwhile, picketers did not understand which Moscow's officials had come to meet them, said Vladimir Lisin, one of participants of protest action. According to him, visitors from Moscow promised to square up accounts if all employees would write applications of unsolicited dismissal. Such variant is not good for preretirement age people, since they are going to enroll with Sevastopol employment center.