The Department of Labor and Social Policy of the Odesa City Council has decided to request additional funding to cover salaries, as well as allowances and pensions, for social workers.
According to the Center for Public Investigations, the department’s director,Olena Kytayska, reported this during a meeting of the standing committee on social and veteran policy.
According to her, the department has already used more than 70% of the funds allocated for these payments this year, and the planned subsidy has not yet been allocated. A total of 128 million hryvnias was earmarked to cover this expenditure.
“If we do not receive the subsidy, our social workers will be left without pay by the end of the year,”the official noted.
This refers to people who provide care for immobile seniors, veterans with disabilities, children with special needs, and other members of vulnerable population groups.
In addition, the city administration is facing a problem withpayingthese employees. As Olena Kytayska explained, their salaries were increased 2.5 times as of January 1, but while these employees previously received a 50% salary supplement and a 100% bonus, they now receive a 10% supplement and a 10% bonus. However, the Department of Social Policy currently has two options for funding these payments: either to keep the 10% and 10% rates, or to allocate 30% salary supplements and 20% bonuses in next year’s budget, but the second option is currently facing objections from the Department of Finance.
Currently, a social worker’s salary is 20,899 hryvnias, of which they take home 15,883 hryvnias. If in 2027 the allowances are set at 10 and 10, this will amount to 24,965 hryvnias calculated and 18,973 hryvnias paid out. If, however, the deputies support the option with a 30% allowance and a 20% bonus, the gross amount will be 29,118 hryvnias, and the net amount will be 22,129 hryvnias.
Svitlana Chyhyryna,a representativeof the Department of Finance, explained that salaries are regulated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and there are insufficient funds in the budget to fully restore the previous allowances and bonuses. Therefore, the question arose regarding the allocation of an additional subsidy from the state budget to ensure the payment of salaries. The military administration determined the additional payments to reduce the burden on the budget.
CouncilwomanLilia Leonidovastated that this is not adequate compensation for the current workload of social workers. Olena Kytayska, in turn, stated that if current pay levels remain in place, the city could face a staffing shortage as early as 2027, because specialists are unwilling to work for such salaries.
“We are not asking for funding for 2026, because we understand that the resolution was issued in January and it is now impossible to allocate funds from the budget, but even now we haven’t received the subsidy that would allow us to cover the full year’s current pay levels with 10% bonuses. But for next year, when we can include those 20 and 30 percent supplements in the program—not in the budget,” she noted.
Olena Kytayska emphasized that ifthe budgetcannot provide funding, the department will seek its own solutions; for example, a reorganization of the regional centers is planned.
“The community must develop social infrastructure, but an employee earning minimum wage cannot provide professional social services. Look at our specialists—some are already over 70 years old—but we can’t find new ones because no one is applying. Even recent college graduates don’t want to work for that kind of salary,” noted Olena Kytayska.
The council members supported the position of the Department of Social Policy and decided to meet with the head of the Department of Finance to further discuss this issue and consider the possibility of reallocating funds from other programs.
Кирило Бойко
