DNEPROPETROVSK TERRITORIAL UNION OF MINEWORKERS OF UKRAINE

 To:      Mr. Poroshenko P.O.

            The President of Ukraine

Dear Mr. President,

DnipropetrovskTerritorianUnionsOrganizationofMineworkersofUkraineandcivilorganization “DisabledMineworkersSocietyofUkraine” aredeep-indignantatunjuststatementsto Ukrainian mineworkers including West Donbas mining area. It applies not only newspaper articles and statements made by many politically committed journalists at TVbut also Ukrainian high officials and politicians. Unfortunately we are supposed to state that charges facing our mineworkers that our ptotest actions in the capital of our country were the handwork of billionaire-oligarch Mr.Akhmetov were also stated by you.    

WedonotunderstandwhythePresidentandhissurroundingstreatto their citizens. We, the West Donbas mineworkers, are law-abiding citizens of Ukraine who fulfill their obligations. WestDonbasUnion of mineworkers were among those who started supporting The Ukrainian Army and wounded soldiers. Labor staff of “PavlogradCoal” administration has repeatedly been providing a charitable assisstance to the regional hospital after the name of Mechnikov and a military hospital for wounded soldiers. It’s a pity that we have to hear such words “…so-called mineworkers” towards us. And it has not been in the last place due to high-performance of “PavlogradCoal” mineworkers’ labour, the Ukrainian people passed the last winter 2014-2015.  

Mineworkersof “PavlogradCoal” deeplyanxiousaboutcriticalsituationturnedoutatthefuelandenergymarketofUkraine. ThermalPowerPlantshavenotbeenprovidedwiththerequiredquantityofcoaltoproduceheat and power. It’s been for the first time when Ukraine had to purchase coal and power abroard, including aggresor country – Russia. There are railcars and currency for this purpose. And Ukrainian mineworkers have to stand idle. Currently there are half a million tones of the coal at “PavlogradCoal” warehouses.

Ourdemandshaveappearednot today – they were developed in November 2014. WehavebeennegotiatingwithMr. A.P.Yatsenuk, PrimeMinisterofUkraine, Mr.V.B.Groismann, ChairmanofVerkhovnaRada, sinceJanuary 2015, but those talks didn’t give any results.Taking into account this fact Unions of mineworker had to initiate holding of the 3^rd Congress fo mineworkers of Ukraine. By the way, you, Peter Alexeevich, were also invited to attend this event along with Mr. A.P.Yatsenuk. However, we even had to “take out of the plane” Mr. V.V.Demchishyn, our Minister,  that he would participate in our forum. Mineworkers expressed serious criticism to the Minister’s address, and it was what for – poorly thought-out and incompetent actions performed by him and his ministerial team. Mineworkers have not heard from you objective evaluation of failed actions of the Minister and the Government yet. On the contrary, barrage of false statements about employees of private collieries who produce coal at very hard conditions to assure power independence of Ukraine and prosperity of Ukrainian people.  

Inthemeantimemineworkersof “PavlogradCoal” gettheircompletewagesintime compared to mineworkers of the state owned mining companies. Butthemineworkersweredisabledwithsocialwelfares. Weareindignentatanddonotagreewithcancellationofearliereffective (thrutheendof 2014)  socialwelfaresforthemineworkers, pensioners, disabledpeopleandfamilieswhoseworkersdiedincollieries. These rights are identified by articles 43 and 48 of the Mining Law of Ukraine «On the increase of presigious labour of mineworkers». Wealsodemandtocanceltaxationofmineworkerspensionandrenovationofataxratefromindividualsof 10% fromemployeeswagewhoworkundergroundfulltime.

Our participation in mass meetings and our questions to the Ministry – are the coal price for the local producer. Will mineworkers of private companies be given a possibility to work and develop? Or the preference will be given to foreign mineworkers procuring coal and power their?

This is a general and main problem both for mineworkers of the state owned and private companies. Consequences of that issue are different: the coal production has reduced at the state owned collieries reduces (based on results of the 1^st quarter this year – 2.2 times), there is no progress, delay in salaries and funding for collieries development have been reduced.  

Itmeansthatinafuturemineworkersofprivateenterpriseswillbeabletofacewiththesameproblemsthoseofthe state owned ones since the colliery is the production facility which constantly should be invested. New coal wall faces should be commissioned today in order to produce coal tomorrow. Every professional mineworker understands this sequence. If today is nothing invested for the development, there won’t be production and work tomorrow, and all West Donbass communities will become a depressd area.

 Therefore, wehaveexecisedoursolidaritywithmineworkersofthe state owned companies who are not given an opportunity to work properly and get their wages.  

WeusedtomakealotofeffortstogiveeffecttotheaboveLawsofUkraineandcurrentlythemineworkerswhorisk their lives and health going underground  have been disabled their deserved social welfares. 

Itisnotimportantforuswhois or who will be the Owner of “PavlogradCoal” in the future. Itisimportantnottodestroysuccesfully operating mining company that is nearly the only enterprise in Ukraine with such big production volume of coal and stable social welfares.  “PavlogradCoal” is the only company in Ukraine where the Collective Agreement has been fulfiled. Andconsciousnonpaymentsofstateinstitutionsfortheshippedcoalmake the company despair. There are 25 000 “PavlogradCoal” employees at West Donbas  and due to the annual remuneration of labor fund of 2.5 billion UAH ($117,635,987.00) the entire communities area / region is supported by taxes and purchasing power where more than 400 000 people live. If collieries close out the entire area/region will become depresive with all consequences.  

Weareapplyingtoyouwiththerequesttointerfereintheseextremelydifficultsituationtaken at the power sector of Ukraine. Wealsorequestyou, PeterAlexeevich, toperformdeepanalysisandmakeaweighteddecisionto help out of the mining sector out of crisis.  

YoursFaithfullyandauthorizedbyworkminer’scollectiveand enterprises of West Donbas:

President of

Dnepropetrovsk Territorial Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine

S.І. YUNAK

President Deputy of

Dnepropetrovsk Territorial Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine

М.М. ТUTUNNYK

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Stepnaya” UnionCommittee

S.V. RYZHKOV

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Yubileynaya” UnionCommittee                          

V.І. FURDA

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Stashkov” UnionCommittee

І.G. МОROZ

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Dneprovskaya” UnionCommittee                      

Yu.О. SAVKIN     

Chairmanof  

Colliery “WestDonbas” UnionCommittee

V.V. КОSAREV

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Samarskaya” UnionCommittee

 І.І. ДYAKOV

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Pavlogradskaya” UnionCommittee

О.V. NOSAN 

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Ternoskay” UnionCommittee

О. G. КОNOVALOV

Chairmanof  

Colliery “HeroesoftheSpace” UnionCommittee

P.О. NEBOGATYKH

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Blagodatnaya” UnionCommittee

О.S. BEREZA

Chairmanof  

Colliery “Pershotravenk” UnionCommittee

А.М. LOBKO

Chairmanof  

“PRUVOKS” UnionCommittee

О.F. GRYB

Chairmanof  

“UMDG” UnionCommittee

V.І. LYMAR

Chairmanof  

“Logistics” UnionCommittee

О.V. ULINETS

Chairmanof  

“PogruzTrans” UnionCommittee

V.М. PYANICHUK

Chairmanof  

“ENERGOcompany” UnionCommittee

R.V. CHERNOBROV 

Chairmanof  

“Concentrating Mill” UnionCommittee

S.А. STARIKOV

Chairmanof  

“Truckingcompany” UnionCommittee

О.О. МАТYEV

Chairmanof  

the managementUnionCommittee

М.І. ОKSEN