Social sphere

An analysis of regional press shows that regional population should be solidary as regards profound social issues, i.e. issues that are vitally important. For instance, Mr. O. Yefremov, Head of Luhansk Oblast State Administration named the following typical issues, referred to him by the residents:

employment, gasification, repair of roofs, salary arrears, and low pensions²⁴. Similarly, Kherson

residents complain to public authorities about social care, material assistance, ensuring adherence to the Residential Code, and law enforcement²⁵.

An article in Verzhe, a newspaper from Kherson, demonstrates a higher priority of social issues for the residents of East and South; it negatively assesses the attitude of President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko regarding the construction of a new bridge across Khortytsya Island in Zaporizhya:

“Public reverence for the sanctity of Khortytsya and raising the issue of creation of a national shrine to the detriment of comfort of local residents are nothing but a display of ‘farm mentality’ which revealed in a faggot of dreams and unrealized hopes of common Ukrainians, who fail to understand that it’s rather a political project, not a realistic one, and that it won’t improve their welfare, as far as no interests of common people are behind it”²⁶.

During the presidential elections, Reporter newspaper from Ivano-Frankivsk, speaking on V.

Yanukovych program, underlined primarily its social aspects: social equality and justice, social guarantees, residential and educational subsidies for the young, fair remuneration etc.²⁷ In turn, Donetsky Kryazh, after the elections, provided a platform for O. Moroz, a socialist leader, to remind about Yushchenko’s promise to implement a social package: to raise salaries and pensions, to provide free medicine and education, lower utility tariffs etc.²⁸

At the same time, the social policy approaches are not completely similar. While the press in the east praised pension-related moves by V. Yanukovych, they were criticized in Western Ukraine.

The increase in pensions was called “cynicism and humiliation of the people”, an “election bribe”;

growing debts to the Pension Fund were forecasted²⁹. However, the whole Ukraine demanded timely payment of pensions and salaries. At least, that’s what Donetsk residents said in opinion polls after the arrival of the new government³⁰.

It should be noted that both industrialized and agricultural regions are equally alarmed by rural problems. Both East and West cite rural unemployment, poverty, lack of potable water, communications, and incomplete implementation of the Law on Priority of Social Development of the Countryside and Agricultural Complex of the Economy³¹.

Regions agree that the settlement of land property issue is among means of resolution of social problems. Donetsk press speaks about the impossibility of implementation of legal acts and regulations on allocation of land to rural cultural workers, teachers and doctors, as far as the land has already been shared. Another problem is the issue of land certificates; only 6,500,000 out of 16,000,000 villagers have obtained them.³²

Vilne Zhyttya from Ternopil covers another side of the same problem: protracted process of replacement of land certificates with state acts of land property. The newspaper lists the unsettled documentary formalization of land property rights among the reasons of villagers’ hardships.

Another problem is the absence of rent contracts with share owners³³.

The connection between land issue and social development is especially evident for Crimean repatriates, who still experience problems with allocation of land plots at the southern bank of the Crimea³⁴.

Utility problems are common for the whole Ukraine, and not only in terms of comfort of residence.

Khersonsky Visnyk underlined their broader aspect, the connection with labor migration, as one of means of settlement of employment problem³⁵. The press discussed two major ways of its settlement: state retention of utility tariffs at the expense of budget funds or active introduction of market principles in the utility sector, so that housing departments could become self-running, with prospects of becoming private³⁷.

Other utility problems covered by the press are also common for the whole Ukraine. In Kherson, the decision to compensate depreciated deposits with utility payments is viewed as unfair towards punctual utility payers³⁸. In Ternopil, insufficient funding of social programs for Chernobyl veterans, especially as regards housing, causes alarm³⁹.

Youth problems draw similar attention in the regions. Special attention is paid to educational aspects. Until now, tuition fees are discussed. Poltavska Dumka proposes to guarantee fee higher education for everybody, secondary schools remaining free⁴⁰.

In addition, the same newspaper speaks about the need to bring education closer to the needs of economy. Press publications in other regions prove the urgency of the problem. In industrial Donbas, a lack of technical workers is evident because of declining vocational schools and scarcity of engineers, with abundance of lawyers, managers and economists⁴¹. Ternopil press also speaks about disparity between the numbers of graduates and market needs⁴².

In addition, in Ivano-Frankivsk region there’s concern with the absence of specialists in the countryside and the condition of education in rural schools, as shown by an interview with education management of the region⁴³.

Poltava press stresses the importance of introduction of market economy principles, such as competition, freedom of choice, openness and mobility, in the education⁴⁴.

Youth employment and guarantees of first workplace are another aspect of the youth problem covered by regional press⁴⁵. An author from Donetsk stresses the importance of the state approach to the matter. Lviv press hopes to overcome youth unemployment⁴⁶ due to the state interference, in particular, incentives for employers to provide first workplaces.

Reporter newspaper from Ivano-Frankivsk highlighted yet another aspect of the youth problem, evident throughout Ukraine: encouraging creation of young families through the settlement of housing issue⁴⁷.

Labor safety remains an important social problem. Primarily, it alarms eastern industrial and mining regions. Molodogvardeets and Donbas newspapers have repeatedly taken note of the problem⁴⁸. A shift from general rhetoric to discussion of concrete ways of settlement of labor safety problems is expected. The eastern region begins application of European labor safety requirements. The ways to decrease gas contamination in mines are being discussed. In particular, the use of American method of extraction of gas from earth with subsequent construction of mines, together with preservation of experienced specialists, is suggested⁴⁹.

Legal support of labor safety is an important issue. In this regard, Molodogvardeets from Luhansk drew attention to the fact that the draft Labor Code of Ukraine provides no social care for wage laborers⁵⁰.

Medicine development remains a subject of discussion. For instance, there are arguments in Kherson that medical services can be provided successfully using charity foundations⁵¹. Instead, in Khmelnytsky oblast, there’s discontent with commercial character of majority of insurance companies; it is asserted that commercialization of healthcare is inexpedient economically, because the majority of the sick are disabled and poor people⁵².

The press from Western Ukraine has raised several nationwide social issues, the resolution of which requires a change of moral basis of the society. One of them is the family violence, and a lack of social workers to settle the issue⁵³. Waifs and “social orphans”, caused by labor emigration of parents, pose another problem⁵⁴. Yet another problem caused by labor emigration is a lack of crèches and kindergartens for children left by their parents⁵⁵. Special attention was paid to homeless people, resulting in certain experience of their social adaptation⁵⁶.