Miners of Resavica Down Tools

Miners/BETAPHOTO/SASA DJORDJEVIC

The miners of Resavica’s all nine mines downed their tools on Dec. 19, descending to pits only to maintain them, not to dig coal.

They say that negotiations on a pay raise for the miners between the striking committee of the Resavica Trade Union, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic and representatives of the Ministry of Finance that took place earlier in the day were unsuccessful.

The Ministry of Mining and Energy reported that the state’s care for the Resavica miner had never been questioned, as the underground coal mining complex was granted EUR40 million in government subsidies every year.

“This year, at the request of the trade union, an additional salary increase has been approved, precisely to improve the financial status of miners, and as a sing of appreciation for the miners’ contribution when problems occurred in supplying coal to local power plants,” the Ministry said in a press release on the strike, adding that it was working hard to “identify a sustainable model to resolve the problems presented to the Ministry by the employees of the public company.”

The United Trade Unions “Sloga” supported the Resavica striking committee, urging the Government of Serbia and the Ministry of Mining and Energy “to accept immediately the rightful requests of the miners, and increase their salaries so that Serbia shouldn’t lose its own source of power in the middle of the winter.”