About fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the hunger strike of retired workers of the Brown Coal Mine (RMU) Zenica, the workers received a notification that the money for retirement contributions for some of the workers would be paid tomorrow, and more than 20 workers gave up on starting the hunger strike.
The president of the Independent Union of Miners of the Federation of BiH, Sinan Husić, conveyed to the miners a message from the federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of BiH, Vedran Lakić, that the Government of the Federation of BiH would transfer the necessary funds by tomorrow.
At the beginning of March, the Government approved 3,000,000 KM for the payment of salaries for February for workers engaged in work, and for 27 workers who retired last year. Of this amount, about 1,960,000 KM was allocated for the retirement of some of the pensioners.
One of the workers, Semir Čajlaković, said that the miners expect the promise to be fulfilled.
He added that they had given the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina until the end of the week, or Monday, June 1, and asked Husić whether, if the agreement was not respected, he would come to the miners on Monday at 8:30 a.m. and explain further steps.
Husić confirmed that he would come to Zenica. Last year, 47 workers became eligible for retirement, and during this year, an additional 13 workers.
Due to unpaid salaries for March, and today, the salary for April should also be due, the miners who are engaged in the extraction of equipment are currently not working.
Salaries in that company are paid by the 25th of the month for the previous month.
photo: archive
