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21 February, 2011
Ukraine last week became the 25th country in 16 years to ratify of ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. The country’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on 15 February gave approval to the set of mine safety standards by a vote of 311 out of 418 MPs present.
The effort was spurred by ICEM’s two mine union affiliates in the eastern European country, the Coal Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine (PRUPU) and the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine. Leaders of both unions, Victor Turmanov and Mikhail Volynets, are members of the Rada.
PRUPU's Victor Turmanov
The bill, No. 0195, was initiated by Ukraine President Victor Yanukovichem on 10 November 2010, and now awaits the President’s signature. Once signed, the Convention will take effect in 12 months, with the expectation that Ukraine’s national laws on mine safety will be updated to comply with the global standards.
“Ratification of Convention 176 signals Ukraine’s commitment to safety and health protections for workers in one of the world’s most dangerous occupations,” said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. “We welcome this legislation and congratulate our trade union affiliates for advancing this inside Ukraine’s government.”
Mikhail Volynets, Independent Trade Union of Miners
The ICEM views ratification of Convention 176 as the precursor for improving a country’s national mining laws. The Convention spells out responsibilities for government, employers, and workers and their representatives, and specifically gives miners the right to report hazards, dangerous conditions and accidents, as well as the right to refuse unsafe work.
For employers, Convention 176 places responsibility on them to not only remove workplace hazards, but remove the causes of those hazards. Employers are responsible for ensuring adequate underground ventilation and providing double exits in mines. The Convention also mandates that employers provide adequate safety training programmes to workers and ensure a regular routine of occupational health surveillance of miners.
Of vital importance, the Convention gives workers and their trade unions participation in inspections and accident investigations, and allows workers to select their own safety and health representatives in full partnership with employers and governmental regulatory bodies.
Ukraine is the fourth country in the past three-and-a-half years to ratify ILO Convention 176. In January 2010, Bosnia/Herzegovina ratified the Convention, while Luxembourg ratified it in April 2008 and Peru in June 2007.
The ICEM established a campaign on country ratification of ILO Convention 176 at its 2007 Congress, and information on that campaign can be found here.