There is indeed a personnel problem in the road industry in Ukraine, but it has already passed its peak, Maksym Shkil, the founder of the Autostrada group of companies, has said. “The first factor is that people who have been abroad have returned, because after all, this is their home, their families are here. And for them, if there are decent conditions in Ukraine, it is better to be at home, to work here. The second factor is that wages have really increased, significantly. And those people who were in other professions, but want to develop, today re-profiled and became road workers. But there is indeed a personnel problem, it is acute, and it cannot be solved until tomorrow. It needs a strategic approach primarily at the state level,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“The Autostrada group of companies now has more than 5,000 employees. I believe that the road industry has passed the peak of personnel problems,” he said.
Talking about the wages of road workers, the founder of the group said that in the past few years they have doubled.
“During the season we have a wage of UAH 40,000, maybe more. It depends on qualifications, performance, the number of hours worked,” he added.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill No. 54-IX “On amendments into some legislative acts of Ukraine on the certain issues of implementation of the overall weight control,” which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on September 11, 2019, into law. “The document is meant to prevent premature destruction of the roads by overloaded vehicles, to reduce the cost of budget funds for their restoration, as well as to increase the level of road safety. It makes amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, the laws on sources of financing of the road facilities of Ukraine and on road transport,” a Press Office of the President reported.
According to the document, a violation of the rules for driving large and heavy vehicles on roads, streets or level crossings is punished by a fine of 500 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens if the overall weight and weight standards are exceeded by 5-10%. If these standards are exceeded by 10-20%, a fine in a sum of 1,000 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens is imposed. Exceeding the overall weight and weight standards by more than 20% provides for a fine of 2,000 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens.
In addition, the head of state signed bill No. 74-IX “On amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine regarding the sources that set up the state road fund,” which was adopted by parliament on September 12, into law.
According to law, Budget Code of Ukraine envisages transfer to the state road fund of 50% of revenues from administrative fines for violation of the legislation on road transport if exceeding the overall weight and weight norms stipulated by legislation and 50% of revenues of administrative fines for violation of the rules for movements of bulky and heavy vehicles on roads, streets or level crossings.
The President’s Office noted that the entry into force of the law would allow raising additional resources to finance the road industry and introducing measures to ensure road safety.
