UKRAINE-LABOUR: Mine Leader’s Arrest Could Trigger More Strikes

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Andrei Ivanov

KIEV, Aug 28 1996 (IPS) - The trade unionist who led a strike of workers in Ukraine’s coal industry last month is facing the prospect of a long prison term and fine.

Mikhail Krylov, Co-chairman of the Donetsk workers’ strike committee, could be sentenced to three years in prison, two years hard labour or a fine equivalent to 120 times the minimum wage when he comes to trial on charges of organising an illegal protest action.

Krylov was at the forefront of the strike action which effectively paralysed Ukraine’s coal industry last month. He has been in detention since his arrest on Aug 1. Miners’ leaders are now considering the possibility of further action in protest.

“The situation is now being discussed at various trade union meetings and another wave of strikes in Donetsk cannot be ruled out,” says Valeriy Miller, Chairman of the trade union association of Donetsk mines.

A government commission looking into the effects of the July miner’s strike in the Donbass has concluded that losses amounted to four million tonnes of unmined coal, and 25,000bn karbovantsi (66m US dollars). The strike also left some 50 mines virtually paralysed.

On Aug. 12, eight coal mines in the Donetsk Pervomaysk region were hit by a series of one-hour warning strikes over demands that leaders of the earlier strikes be released from prison. There were also demands that the media campaign against them be stopped and that those responsible for embezzling coal industry funds should be prosecuted.

The miners also protested at what they called illegal detention of Independent Ukrainian Miners Union (IUMU) leader Oleksandr Demyanovich. He is in hospital after being held in police custody. They also demanded release of the head of the Menzhinsky Mine trade union leader, Yuri Arkhipchuk.

The IUMU sent a letter to President Leonid Kuchma demanding rapid resolution of the coal industry’s problems. It demanded real reform rather than the use of strong arm methods to silence protestors.

This followed allegations that the Ukrainian government had tried to crush the coal miners’ strike in Donbass “by using totalitarian methods”. President of the International Independent Trade Unions of mining workers, Alexander Sergeyev, said the July strikes had led to clashes with police and arrests as the miners demanded payment of wages some five months in arrears.

Ukraine’s coal industry has lost over 25,000bn karbovantsi from strikes so far in 1996. A blockade of the railways cost the state over 850bn karbovantsi, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Vasyl Durdynets.

He told a cabinet meeting that over 20 percent of pits were in an “unsatisfactory condition … with half of them caving in”. Mine workers had not been turning up. The reduction in coal production had put the power sector in a “difficult” predicament. Durdynets said seven criminal cases had been instituted following “illegal mass actions” organised by the IUMU and the Donetsk Strike Committee, headed by Krylov.

These actions were essentially a continuation of strikes and protests after the government signed an agreement with some miners leaders on Jul. 15 to end the dispute. Under this deal, miners would receive their June wages and 1995 welfare payments by Jul. 20. Guarantees were given by a special government commission and the Ministry of the Coal Industry that any outstanding arrears would be paid by Sep. 15.

For their part, the unions undertook to ensure that there was no embezzlement or wastefulness of funds received. However grassroots meetings declared no-confidence in the agreement.

Krylov said the miners had not given the heads of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Donbass or the Trade Union of Coal Industry Employees of Ukraine the authority to sign an agreement on their behalf, and they continued their blockade of local railways.

The government is in the process of reorganising the coal industry by setting up holding companies on the basis of old-style coal production associations. The new state-owned companies are to be based on Pavlogradvuhillya (Pavlograd Coal), Stakhanovvuhillya (Stakhanov Coal), Ukrzakhidvuhillya (Western Ukraine Coal), Antratsit and Ukrvuhletrans (Ukrainian Coal Transit).

The Ministry for the Coal Industry has already set up 458 state enterprises based on coal mining and enrichment enterprises and begun their restructuring as corporate entities.

So far 101 joint-stock companies have been set up, of a total 623 coal enterprises to be incoprorated under the scheme.

The government intends to close 50 loss-making mines this year at a cost of 170,000 billion karbovantsi putting some 33,860 miners out of work. The closures are in line with conditions agreed for a World Bank loan to help with restructuring. In total some 103 mines will eventually be closed.

As a sop to the miners, Deputy Prime Minister Durdynets announced that the government has allotted a total of 593bn karbovantsi (2.8 million dollars) to upgrade safety standards at coal mines. He said the move was spurred by deteriorating conditions. Mining accidents have caused 227 deaths so far this year. Last year, 345 miners were killed and another 6,700 disabled in nearly 41,000 recorded accidents.

Durdynets ordered coal and health ministry officials to closely monitor the use of the funds, part of which will be used to better equip medical facilities and to avoid the kind of abuses uncovered recently by his commission on restructuring the coal industry.

However discontent is increasing again with wage payments still two months behind schedule, despite government promises to clear them. Miners are currently owed large amounts of money.