Republic
07.05.2007
Belarus’ government issued resolution #550 to approve a monthly subsistence wage per capita for every socio-demographic group in the prices of March 2007. The social standard will be valid from May 1 till July 31, 2007.
The average subsistence wage per capita makes up Br179,100 (Br170,500 from February 1 till April 30, 2007). A subsistence wage for the people in prime working years stands at Br197,690, for pensioners – Br158,640, for students – Br189,020, for the children aged between 3 and 16 – Br207,550, for the children under three – Br151,830.
The new subsistence wage is 5% higher than the one valid from February 1 till April 30, said Liudmila Siniutina, a deputy chief of the department of systemic problems of development of the socio-labor sphere of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Belarus. Benefits to the families with children will increase by 5%. Social pensions and bonuses to the pensions to certain groups of pensioners will rise by 5% as well.
In accordance with the law “On subsistence wage in the Republic of Belarus”, the social standard is approved quarterly in the prices of the last month of a quarter, Liudmila Siniutina says. It is used to analyze and project the living standards, to provide state social assistance to low-income families, to estimate the minimum state social and labour guarantees. The subsistence wage is also used to assess the level of incomes of people, the amount of remuneration of labour, pensions, benefits and other social payments, to determine the level and scale of poverty.
The subsistence wage for different socio-demographic groups features the following benefits and services: foodstuffs, clothes, underwear, footwear, medicines, sanitary and hygienic products and also utilities, transport and consumer services, services of children’s preschool institutions.