27 February, 2025For decades, Ukraine’s coal miners have been the backbone of the nation’s energy sector, fueling homes, industries and progress with their labour. But today, their struggle is not only for fair wages and working conditions it is for survival, dignity and the hope of rebuilding their shattered lives. Among them, the Trade Union of Coal Industry Workers of Ukraine (Ukrvugleprofspilka) an IndustriALL affiliate—stands as their last line of defense, fighting for their rights in this harsh reality.
Volodymyr, a miner from Toretsk, spent years underground at the Toretska mine, extracting coal to keep Ukraine’s homes warm and industries running. It was grueling and dangerous work, but he took pride in his craft, knowing that his hands were building the country’s future. The mine, like many in Donetsk and Luhansk, was more than just a workplace, it was a community, a lifeline, a legacy passed down through generations.
Then came the war. Explosions shattered the city, turning homes to rubble. The mine, was shelled into silence. Volodymyr, like so many miners, had to make an impossible choice, stay and risk his life or leave behind everything he had ever known. He fled with his wife Olena and their two children, Max and Kateryna, seeking refuge in Lviv.
“The adjustment was brutal. In Toretsk, I was a respected worker. In Lviv, I am just another displaced man scrambling for work. My coal-covered hands once secured a stable income now I grasp at odd jobs like construction, farm labour, anything to keep food on the table for my family,”
says Volodymyr.
His wife Olena, already in fragile health, struggled with the stress and uncertainty of displacement. Max and Kateryna, were ripped from their school and friends, grappled with a world they no longer recognized.
Despite the devastation of the coal industry, Ukrvugleprofspilka refuses to abandon its miners. It provides displaced workers with humanitarian aid, legal assistance and psychological support. It fights to ensure that miners like Volodymyr are not forgotten, advocating for policies that will one day help them return home.
More than 3,000 miners from the union have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, exchanging their tools for weapons in the fight for their homeland. Tragically, over 350 have paid the ultimate price. Hundreds more have been wounded. Each name is a reminder that this war is not just about territory, it is about the lives of those who built Ukraine with their bare hands.
Today, only 23,420 miners remain in the union and fewer than 8,000 can afford to pay their dues. But being a miner is about more than financial contributions, it is about brotherhood, about refusing to be broken.
“I cling to the hope that one day, we will return to Toretsk. I dream of the day the mines will come back to life, that my children will play in the same streets just like I did, that the community I loved will rise from the ashes. Until then, I work, I fight and I endure,”
says Volodymyr.
“The struggle of Ukraine’s miners is not just about jobs, it is about justice, survival and the right to rebuild. Despite the hardship, they stand strong. Despite the losses, they endure and despite the war they remain unshaken in their belief that they will one day reclaim what is theirs. We stand in solidary with them,”
says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.
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