On September 10, the General Confederation of Trade Unions(GCTU) launched the development of a unified methodology for calculating the minimum consumer budget. The first meeting of the GCTU Executive Committee’s temporary working group on this initiative took place in Moscow.

“In the opinion of trade unions in our countries, wages should align with the actual costs of a dignified life and personal development. Currently, the consumer basket - primarily the cost of essential food for mere survival - serves as the basis for minimum wage calculations in nearly all CIS countries. Our goal is to change this approach by setting a higher standard that accounts for a modern, balanced diet, non-food goods, and services,” said Margarita Usova, Deputy General Secretary of the GCTU.

The meeting was attended by representatives of GCTU member organizations, including: Azamat Abdullaev, Chief Specialist of the Department for the Protection of Socio-Economic Interests of Workers at the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan; Anton Alekseev, Chief Specialist of the Socio-Economic Policy Group at the Department of Social and Labor Relations and Social Partnership of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia; Dmitry Alekseychik, Head of the Main Directorate for Social Partnership and Labor Relations at the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus; Svetlana Novikova, Head of the Department of Economic Development and Regulatory Regulation in Healthcare at the Trade Union of Healthcare Workers of the Russian Federation; MeiramKazhyken, Advisor to the General Secretary of the Kazakhstan Confederation of Labor on Economic Issues and Professor at the Higher School of Economics of the International University of Astana; Aleksandr Kravchenko, Chairman of the Belenergotopgaz Trade Union; Saltanat Mambetova, Head of the Social Protection Department at the Federation of Professional Unions of Kyrgyzstan; Natalya Chernysheva, Chairman of the International Confederation of Trade Unions of Workers in Trade, Public Catering, Consumer Cooperation, and Various Forms of Entrepreneurship; Regina Khairullina, Chief Specialist of the Legal Department of the General Confederation of Trade Unions; Andrey Shvedov, General Secretary of the International Association of Trade Unions of Workers in the Mining and Metallurgical Industry ("Soyuzmetall"); and Margarita Usova, Deputy General Secretary of the GeneralConfederation of Trade Unions.

The next meeting of the temporary working group is scheduled for the second half of October.