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4 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 18/2000
Ukraine's worst mining disaster is now being investigated by a team led by Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. The probe commission includes Mikhail Volynets, President of the Miners' Independent Trade Union of Ukraine (MITU).
Saturday's explosion at the Barakova mine killed 80 workers and injured seven others, Volynets confirms in a fax received today by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). MITU is an ICEM affiliate.
Describing the accident as "the most serious in recent years", Volynets says the blast happened "during repair work" at the mine and was caused by a "mixture of dust and gas". Barakova is owned by the state holding company Krasnodonugol. As well as investigating the accident, the government team of which Volynets is part is bringing "vital assistance to the families of those killed and injured".
Ukraine has one of the world's highest mining accident rates. Close to 1,500 Ukrainian miners have been killed over the past five years. MITU, backed by the ICEM, has been campaigning to reverse a catastrophic spiral of underinvestment, leading to falls in productivity, leading to further cutbacks in equipment and safety. Non-payment of miners' wages has been another serious problem in the cash-starved industry.
"Beyond sadness and grief, drastic measures need to be taken to address the causes of these series of mine disasters," insists ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs in a message of condolence to the MITU. In particular, Higgs calls for implementation by Ukraine of Convention 176 on mining safety, adopted by the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has declared 13 and 14 March as days of national mourning for those killed in the Barakova disaster.
Saturday's explosion at the Barakova mine killed 80 workers and injured seven others, Volynets confirms in a fax received today by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). MITU is an ICEM affiliate.
Describing the accident as "the most serious in recent years", Volynets says the blast happened "during repair work" at the mine and was caused by a "mixture of dust and gas". Barakova is owned by the state holding company Krasnodonugol. As well as investigating the accident, the government team of which Volynets is part is bringing "vital assistance to the families of those killed and injured".
Ukraine has one of the world's highest mining accident rates. Close to 1,500 Ukrainian miners have been killed over the past five years. MITU, backed by the ICEM, has been campaigning to reverse a catastrophic spiral of underinvestment, leading to falls in productivity, leading to further cutbacks in equipment and safety. Non-payment of miners' wages has been another serious problem in the cash-starved industry.
"Beyond sadness and grief, drastic measures need to be taken to address the causes of these series of mine disasters," insists ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs in a message of condolence to the MITU. In particular, Higgs calls for implementation by Ukraine of Convention 176 on mining safety, adopted by the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has declared 13 and 14 March as days of national mourning for those killed in the Barakova disaster.