German residents were moving more actively around the country on Sunday, many domestic trains were jammed with passengers as people sought to get to their desired destinations before a major strike by transport workers began, Western media reported.
On Monday, March 27, many transport workers, from railroad workers to airport and public transport employees in cities, are expected to take part in a nationwide strike. This strike is expected to halt traffic in the country for a day.
German trade unions have called on thousands of transport workers to take part in the strike and to demand higher wages – to cope with high inflation. Thus, in the trade union Verdi said that they had appealed to go on strike to 120 thousand people and in the EVG union that protects the rights of railway workers in Germany – to 230 thousand people.
The unions are seeking to raise the wages of the transport industry employees by 10-12%, but at the moment, the employers offer a phased increase of 5% and a one-time payment of about EUR2.5 thousand.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the day before the strike, Munich Airport was already closed, flights were also cancelled or delayed in Germany’s largest airport – Frankfurt am Main Airport.
Oil prices show moderate growth on Monday morning after a strong rise last week.
The value of May futures for Brent on London’s ICE Futures Exchange stood at $75.12 a barrel by 8:07 a.m., $0.13 (0.17%) above the previous session’s closing price. At the close of trading last Friday those contracts fell by $0.92 (1.2%) to $74.99 per barrel.
The price of WTI futures for May at the electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is $69.4 per barrel by that time, which is $0.14 (0.2%) above the final value of the previous session. The contract fell by $0.7 per barrel to $69.26 last Friday.
Brent gained 2.8% and WTI gained 3.5% last week, slightly recovering from a collapse to multi-year lows a week earlier.
“Oil prices, largely a victim of volatility in global markets, managed to recover in the short term, although Brent is still worth 10% less than it was at the beginning of the year,” said Barbara Lambrecht, a commodities analyst at Commerzbank. – On the one hand, this is due to still high risks and on the other hand to unexpectedly high supply levels.”
Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management pointed to good indicators on the Chinese economy and predicted that the oil market may show a small deficit by mid-year.
Meanwhile, the number of active oil rigs in the U.S. rose 4 units to 593 last week, oil services company Baker Hughes said. The week before, the figure fell to a nine-month low.
JSC Mukachevo Tochpribor plant (Transcarpathian region), a major Ukrainian manufacturer of electronic components, has reported a net profit of UAH 24.08 mln in 2022, which is 8.2 times higher than in 2021, according to preliminary data.
According to the company’s information for the April 28 general meeting of shareholders on the results of its work in 2021-2022, by the beginning of 2023 undistributed profits amounted to 176.33 million UAH (previous year – 152.25 million UAH).
The shareholders intend to direct the entire profit for 2021 (UAH 2.94 mln) and for 2022 to replenish the working capital and not to pay out dividends.
According to the publication, last year the plant increased its current liabilities by 39.5% to UAH 97.48 mln, and its long-term liabilities increased by 51.4% to UAH 4.88 mln.
The value of company assets increased by 23.3% to UAH 282.48 million, including total receivables decreased by 14% to UAH 73.1 million, and cash and cash equivalents increased 5.5 times to UAH 69.58 million.
The agenda of the meeting includes, in particular, the issues of changing the main type of activity from “production of instruments and equipment for measuring, research and navigation” to “production of electrical and electronic equipment for the automotive industry”.
It is also planned to supplement the list of activities with the production of ready-made metalware, locks and door hinges, as well as the provision of real estate for rent. Also the shareholders intend to re-elect the council for three years.
According to the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (SSMSC) for the fourth quarter of 2022, almost 90% of Mukachevo Ttochpribor shares belong to Cyprus-registered Moroudon Investments Limited, while the ultimate beneficiaries in the state register are Irina Zodiatu and Gabriella Lazaridou.
Mukachevo-based Tochpribor specializes in the production of cable modules, loudspeakers for the automotive industry and transformers for telephone charging stations, cooperating with a number of foreign companies on the basis of tolling agreements.
According to the company’s financial report, it cut its net profit 4.7 times in 2021 to UAH 2.94 million, while its net income rose 45.7% to UAH 160.53 million.
Siemens, Nokia, Philips Motorola, Volkswagen, and General Motors were among the main consumers of the products.
By the beginning of 2022 the plant employed over 900 people.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Raphael Grossi will visit the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine next week to personally assess the seriousness of the nuclear safety situation at the site and to stress the urgency of protecting it during the ongoing military conflict in the country.
“This will be the second time Director General Grossi has crossed the front lines to reach Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, and the first since he established a permanent presence of IAEA experts at the site in southern Ukraine last September 1,” the IAEA press office said in a statement.
Grossi stressed that he was determined to do everything possible to help reduce the risk of a nuclear accident.
“Despite the fact that we have been at the site for seven months now, the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP is still unstable. The threats to nuclear safety and security are all too clear, as is the need to act now to prevent an accident with potential radiological consequences for the health and environment of people in Ukraine and beyond. So I am continuing to work on a proposal to protect the plant,” he said.
Grossi said his trip to Ukraine is also aimed at ensuring that regular rotations of IAEA experts to and from the site are maintained and improved after the very difficult circumstances faced by the experts during the previous rotation in February, which was delayed by almost a month. He will be accompanied by a new group of IAEA experts, which will be the seventh to be present at the site since the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporozhye was established.
The government’s main strategy remains to minimize the state’s share in the economy while maintaining state control in sectors that are strategic and important for Ukraine’s security, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said at a meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister – Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko and Head of the State Property Fund Rustem Umerov.
“There are many plans for this year. We continue small-scale privatization and resume large-scale privatization. We are transferring the majority of state enterprises to the management of the State Property Fund. We are developing a strategy for the management of enterprises confiscated from sub-sanctioned persons,” said Shmygal, as the press service of the government reports.
Also, according to Prime Minister, the State Property Fund has been instructed to introduce the OECD principles in the management of state-owned enterprises.
Last year privatization brought 1.7 billion UAH to the state budget. After the change of management, the economic effect of the IGF’s work amounted to more than 5bn hryvnias.
Another modular settlement was opened in the Kyiv region for temporary accommodation of those who lost their homes as a result of Russian military aggression, the press service of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration reported.
The modular settlement was opened in Dmitrovka. It is designed for temporary accommodation of residents of the community who lost their homes due to military actions and internally displaced persons, and consists of 3 sections. Each section has 21 rooms for living, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, a nursery and a room-dryer for clothes.
Also, temporary housing is equipped with the necessary appliances, furniture, utensils, and essentials. A powerful 220 kW generator is installed nearby, which will be an alternative source of electricity.
In total the camp is designed to simultaneously accommodate 252 people. Now the two sections are already housing 41 families – a total of 115 people. The third section is fully ready for the settlement of new residents.
“Unfortunately, the war continues. But life goes on, too. The Russian military has brought a lot of grief and destruction to the Kiev region. Everything we are doing now is for the people and for the people. Every day we are working together to rebuild what the occupiers destroyed so that people can return to their own homes as quickly as possible. That is why such temporary housing must be as comfortable and cozy as possible for the residents. I would like to thank our partners and the people who live near the capital for their understanding and support. Every day by common steps we approach our Victory”, – noted the deputy head of Kiev OVA Mykola Boiko.
This is the 16th modular village, which was installed in Kyiv region with the assistance of Polish government and the support of the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. Before that, modular cities for temporary residence of people were installed and are functioning now in Irpen, Bucha, Kuharyah, Vasylkivo, Ivankovo, Makarov and other settlements of the region.
