“Budgetary funding provided for the current year puts a question of life and death to the mining industry. We can’t accept this”, - said Victor Turmanov, the Chairman of Mining Unions of Ukraine during the Cabinet of Ministers picketing on 28 January 2015.

Mine-workers hoped that budget 2015 will fund mining industry at the sufficient level. But the actual status is as follows: only 1.2 billion UAH (Ukrainian Hrivna) was allocated for the mining sector. These funds are set aside for the restructuring, i.e. mines closeout. Not a Hrivna appropriated for companies development, partial reimbursement of costs at cost price of finished mining products and other vital importance expenses required for the mining sector. An issue of mining enterprises life and death was raised under such budgetary funding circumstances, - emphasized the Unions leader.

The Union of mine industry employees of Ukraine and work staffs repeatedly applied to the state authorities with requests to revise the mining sector funding and solve an issue regarding the further mines operation. “The situation in which mining industry has been turned out is destroying the section. The government purchases coal abroad in spite of the fact that quality of the coal is worse and the price is higher than the domestic one. Why does the authority fund mining industry of other countries instead of providing job for Ukrainian mine-workers?” – said Victor Turmanov. He took notice of all participants that in the middle of February 2015 some additional changes would be made in the state budget: “Our basic demand is to revise mining industry funding. We are ready to argue at any level that mines in Ukraine have the right to live and operate.” 

Some people’s deputies of Ukraine supported the work staffs of mining enterprises (Mr. Sergey Kaplin and Oleg Musiy), and other deputies protecting interests of mining regions of Ukraine, as well as Mayors of mining towns. They addressed their readiness to protect social-and economic rights and interests of mine-workers at all levels.

Words of solidarity were addressed from Mr. Alexander Ryabko, the deputy chairman of Metallurgy and Mining Unions of Ukraine, Mr. Yuriy Rabota, an advisor of the chairman of Unions of Ukraine, and representatives of public organizations.  

     Leaders of territorial and primary unions, representatives of work staff, mining veterans addressed with mines and miner’s towns issues, non-implementation of social-and-economic securities of Mining industry employees, the behavior in miner’s brigades and further mining fate. The Resolution with working group members was set up to negotiate with Arseniy Yatsenuk.