The first-category tariff rate in the organizations funded from the budget and using state subsidies was increased by 7.7% up to Br70 thousand, Gennady Prokhorchik, the head of the main department for labour and wages of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Belarus, said when commenting on Council of Ministers’ resolution #1444 of November 2, 2007. Gennady Prokhorchik noted that an increase in the first-category tariff rate will allow to raise the wages of the employees in the budget-funded sectors by 7.7%. These are over 800 thousand people. Gennady Prokhorchik underlined that the Government’s resolution No1444 is aimed at meeting the 2007 wage projections. Over the nine months of 2007, the nominal wages in the budget-funded sectors went up by 14.3% as against the same period last year (13.2-19% in line with the 2007 forecast). In September 2007 the wage averaged Br603.4 thousand, or $280.7.