KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2020) Open-ended protests staged by Ukrainian miners demanding payment of their wage arrears in front of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office have entered a third consecutive day, head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mykhailo Volynets said on Thursday.
The miners started the rallies on Tuesday demanding the payment of salary arrears to employees of state mines, which currently exceeds a total of 1.2 billion hryvnias ($44.7 million). They also want the State Property Fund of Ukraine and energy companies to be obligated to fully pay arrears with state coal mining enterprises for the coal received. On Wednesday, they wanted to set up tents near the presidential office, but law enforcement officers took them away, prompting clashes.
"The third day of the All-Ukrainian unlimited rally of miners began. Now near the office of the president," Volynets wrote on Facebook.
According to a video that Volynets posted to his account, the miners are sitting on the ground in front of the president's office and banging their helmets. They also hold trade union flags and posters urging the authorities to give them jobs and "stop destroying the coal industry."
The demonstrations were triggered by the actions of Andriy Gerus, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's energy committee, who, according to the protesters, triggered a crisis in the country's energy sector. The protesters also demand a ban on the import of electricity and coal from Russia and Belarus, the resumption of the operation of blocks of thermal power plants that have been reequipped from anthracite coal to coal of the gas group, and the relaunch of mines and their stable operation.�
