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5 October, 2008
The ICEM-affiliated Coal Mining Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine (PRUPA) held its Third Congress in Kiev on 17-18 September, and celebrated passage and enactment of the “Law on Enhancing the Prestige of Miners’ Labour.”
The law, years in the making, was passed by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada without a dissenting vote on 9 September, and became law when President Victor Yuschenko signed it on 11 September.
PRUPA celebrated the passage at its quintennial Congress in Kiev, with ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda addressing the delegates and giving his congratulations on work done to enact the measure. Leaders of Ukraine’s largest mining union also re-elected Victor Turmanov as President.
Turmanov said that while the law, which gives miners unprecedented benefits, is a major accomplishment, it is still different from a first draft. We thus have “room for improvement,” he said. Miners of both FRUP and ICEM affiliate, the Independent Miners’ Trade Union of Ukraine, lobbied the Rada hard for passage.
On 3 September, a day after the legislative body opened its current term, the unions declared a Miners’ Day holiday and thousands flooded Kiev to lobby passage of the bill. Both Turmanov and the Independent Miners’ Union Chairman Mikhail Volynets are members of the Rada.
The “Law on Enhancing the Prestige of Miners’ Labour” grants underground miners an immediate reduction on their state income tax from 15% to 10%; gives them a means to gain additional pay with the mining base rate pegged at 30% higher than the country’s minimum wage; mandates that pension benefits cannot be less than 80% of the coal industry’s average wage for miners after 15 years of service; and gives miners with three years of service free higher education stipends, as well as granting children of workers with 15 years service in mines free higher education credits.
Passage of the measure signifies government recognition of the fact that there is significant shortage of manpower in the Ukraine’s burgeoning coal industry. The new law is aimed at recruiting young workers into mining. The bill was passed through amendments to the 2008 Ukrainian budget.
The “Prestige of Miners” law also grants trade union health and safety representatives the right to halt production when major breaches of safety or health concerns occur. The ICEM also is strongly encouraging its mine union affiliates and the Ukrainian government to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention.