Comment to Decree No. 353 dated 12 August 2013

In order to encourage young specialists to pursue careers in agriculture, the President of the Republic of Belarus signed Decree No. 353 “Concerning certain measures to provide the agriculture organizations with personnel" on 12 August.

The document is aimed at raising the wages by establishing monthly supplemental payments.

In particular, young specialists with university and vocational college degrees shall be entitled to monthly supplemental payments, within two years of their work in agricultural companies, in the amount equal to two first-class tariff rates established by the government for budgetary organizations. For taxation purposes these supplemental payments shall be viewed as expenses on the production and sale of goods (works, services).

Managers and specialists with university and vocational college degrees, who have been in the agricultural company for two years as part of student distribution and who continue to work in these companies on the basis of contracts, shall be entitled to monthly supplemental payments within the next three years in the amount equal to three first-class tariff rates. The funds on the supplemental payments will be allocated from the national budget envisaged for the development of agricultural production, fish farming and processing of agricultural products.

These measures are designed to ensure a guaranteed wage of young workers in agriculture at the level of the average wage for the company.

The decree shall enter into force after its official publication.