Victor Turmanov, the Chairman of Mining Unions of Ukraine, leaders of industrial unions, people’s deputies  applied to Arseniy Yatsenuk, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, with the request to set up a working group to solve mining industry issues under the leadership of Valeriy Voschevskiy, the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine.

On 28 January 2015, the Head of government held a meeting with chairmen of mining unions and people’s deputies on critical situation in the mining industry and ways of recovery from recession at the Cabinet of Ministers. Following this meeting Arseniy Yatsenuk instructed the Ministry of power and mining industry of Ukraine, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development, Social Policy, Infrastructure, National Committee on Power and Utilities Regulation, State owned company “ENERGOMARKET”, as well as Heads of Lugansk, Donetsk, L’vov and Volyn administrations to set up inter-departmental commission on the settlement of problems in mining industry and work through those issues without delay.

Vladimir Demchyshyn only set up this inter-departmental commission and unfortunately dissociated himself from its work and did not ensure the participation of the Ministers and Regions Heads in its sittings. Actually only officials from the Ministry of power and mining industry, people’s deputies and unions representatives participate in the commission work. 

Inter-departmental commission of the Ministry proposed to execute the results as Memorandum. However, the draft introduced by the Ministry does not make provision for complex measures how to get over crisis in mining industry. The draft contains only one important change in the Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2015” regarding renovation of the state support at the required minimum level, capital construction, partial cover of cost price of final mining products and measures how to transfer the social infrastructure facilities which are still in custody of mining enterprises.

The schedule of unpaid wages debts repayment proposed in the draft Memorandum is unrealistic and was not justified. Commission does not take into consideration these important issues thereby disregards the Prime Minister instructions. Vladimir Demchyshyn does not make attempts to find the solution of problems in mining industry. He only prepares the draft which does not contain none of decisions concurred by all participants of the Commission.

The crisis situation is worsen that will result in nonreversible economic and social consequences in the country since the officials could not formulate and propose effective measures how to solve problems in mining industry.

The situation should be resolved quickly and efficiently. Therefore, the union leaders and people’s deputies applied to the Prime Minister with the request to create the working group with the participation of ministers and state owned companies identified in the instruction of 28 January 2015 without delay under the leadership of Valeriy Voschevskiy as a head of anti-crisis headquarters of Ukraine.

This working group is supposed to develop and submit concurred by everyone proposals for the Cabinet review that will allow solving problems in fuel and energy complex of Ukraine.