MOSCOW. Mar 2: President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on Saturday ordering Russia's government to pay salaries on time to reduce social tensions, reports Reuter.

The decree toughened Yeltsin’s pressure on the government to pay off a huge backlog of wages in the state sector and pay wages on time from now on. He is expected to reshuffle the government because of his dissatisfaction.

The aim of the decree "on guaranteeing the timely financing of expenditure on wage payments was to "ensure the constitutional light of citizens to be paid for work and its timely payment and to reduce social tensions."

"The government of the Russian federation shall ensure the unconditional allocations each month to subjects of the Russian federation money ... on the

terms set by the federal law on the 1997 federal budget." said the decree, released by the Kremlin.

The backlog of wages, in some cases stretching back for several months, has prompted widespread protests by state sector workers such as teachers and miners. Trade unions are threatening a day of nationwide protests on March 27.

Yeltsin approved the 1997 budget this week but said in a radio address on Friday that it was badly flawed. He said he had signed it only to avoid political turmoil and vowed to take a bigger personal role in drafting next year's budget.

Chernomyrdin has said the backlog of wages is due to a huge shortfall in tax revenues, but he agreed after meeting Yeltsin last Monday that he would put forward recommendations for a government reshuffle.