Third day underground: miners strike in Luhansk region

In Pervomaisk, in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Lugansk region, employees of the Gorskaya state mine are demanding payment of wage arrears. Since May 5, 14 miners have not risen to the surface. One of them became ill the day before, but the protest continues. About it сообщает head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mikhail Volynets.

According to him, the state owed the enterprise UAH 127,4 million. The miners demand to pay off debts, increase salaries and ensure them personal protective equipment. Now for almost 1100 underground workers there are only 180 self-rescuers (that is, personal respiratory protection equipment - ed.). Until all the requirements are met, the miners refuse to rise from the face. And their colleagues form lists for a strike in the government quarter of Kyiv. 

 “The protesters are provided with food and warm clothing. Next to them are fighters of the mountain rescue service, a doctor is on duty. However, this does not reduce the threats from a long stay in the face for the health of the guys. The administration is blocking the descent of other miners so that they do not join the protest.”- said Volynets.  

The police of the Lugansk region opened criminal proceedings on fact of non-payment of wages. He promises to deal with the leaders of the enterprise.   

«As part of the criminal proceedings, investigators, under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office, carry out urgent investigative actions - a survey is conducted of relatives and friends of the striking miners and mine managers»- commented law enforcement officers.  

Reminder: last week went on strike miners in Kyiv-controlled Novogrodovka. They refused to go down into the face. They Minugol owed more than 90 million hryvnia.   

Also Klymenko Time talked about the fact that in the coal business of Rinat Akhmetov in the Ukrainian Donbass there are changes. Since the beginning of the year, the oligarch managed to return one coal enterprise to the state, and bought a controlling stake in another.

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