President Putin: New Labour Draft Code To Be Amended

On the results of the Russian President's conference in Vologda with the leaders of trade unions, relevant instructions will be given to the Cabinet and the activity of the commission now drafting a new Labour Code and a Code of Labour Laws, will be corrected, Vladimir Putin said at a news conference. The Russian President underscored that the conference with the trade union leaders was interesting and concrete. According to Putin, on the eve of the May Day holidays it was necessary to meet with trade unions--not with its top, but with middle-level leaders--because it was important to hear their opinion about the new Code of Labour Laws and the Labour Code that are now being drafted. Later today, the President will fly to the town of Kirillov, in the Belgorod Region, for a conference on local budgets. According to Putin, the reform of the municipal economy, now being discussed in this country, is closely connected with the problem of drawing up local budgets. President Putin noted it is local self-government that is largely responsible for the state of the municipal economy. "The problems of the last winter have made us think over this issue and pay to it our close attention," said the President. The main problem this year, continued the President, is the delimitation of powers between the federal centre and the regions, and also between the regions and their constituent parts. This has become especially topical, he said, after a number of innovations in the tax sphere which have changed the procedure of forming budgets of the local self-government.