Ucrania - Absence of social dialogue about non-payment of wages in the state-owned coal mines

The Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NGPU) and the Confederation of Free Trade Union of Ukraine (KVPU) supported several protests of workers in the coal sector against the non-payment of wages in the coal sector, including national protests in July and August 2018. At the beginning of October, the wage debt in the coal sector was estimated at UAH 1.2 billion. Some miners have not been paid since spring 2018. The government failed to engage in meaningful social dialogue with trade unions about the future of the industry and in particular about finding solution in order to address the wage demands of workers. On 18 September the chairman of the Local Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) in Selidovo and Novogrodivka, Viktor Trifonov, started a hunger strike in the office of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine to protest against the lack of solution to the non-payment of wages arrears to miners of the SOE «Selidivugillia». On 22 October, 15 miners of the mine G.G. Kapustin PJSC «Lisichanskvugillia» started a protest action underground in extreme conditions dangerous to health.