Until the next protest: miners in Kyiv were promised to pay huge wage arrears
Several dozen representatives of state-owned coal enterprises held a protest rally near the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Later they went to the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The miners were once again delayed in their salaries for several months, and they came to Kyiv to demand payment of the debt. Representatives of all state mines, where trade union organizations are represented, took part in the action.
The miners held flags of the Independent Trade Union of Miners and posters with the inscriptions “We are not cattle, we are not slaves, we are Ukraine’s daughters and sons!”, “Give us our wages!”, “Give us the money the miners earned!”, “We do not demand someone else’s, we come for your salary!”, “Mr. President, keep your promises!”, “At least our children are there”, “No to violation of labor rights!”.
At the building of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, miners banged their helmets and demanded a meeting with the Minister of Energy. Such a meeting took place.
As Roman Panchuk, head of the joint committee of trade unions of the Pervomaiskugol State Enterprise, told a PolitNavigator correspondent, the issue of paying off the debt incurred from January to March has already been resolved, and tomorrow the miners should be paid the debt for April.
In addition to debts, the miners discussed a number of problems with the minister, including an increase in tariff rates, coal prices, the issue of mutual settlements, as well as issues related to the operation of processing plants.
Thus, the miners achieved the fulfillment of the main requirement - repayment of debt. However, they do not believe that their salaries will be paid without delays in the future. The government system itself is corrupt and ineffective, so miners periodically have to travel to Kyiv to force the state to pay their debts.
“As long as we have a mafia and it is in power, our issues will never be resolved,” Roman Panchuk told a PolitNavigator correspondent. “We’re not going to Europe, we’re going lower and lower.” There is no future for us in Europe. Who needs a country where, as people say, “if you don’t apply it, you won’t go”? There will be no changes for the better as long as there are mafia clans in power.”
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