Ten miners of the Zenica Brown Coal Mine (RMU Zenica) spent the fourth night in the “Raspotočje” pit, where they continue their protest over unpaid wages. According to the Vice President of the Union, Elvedin Alić, the miners are feeling good at the moment.
“The situation has not changed, 10 people are still in the pit and continue their protest. They feel good, and we were in the pit last night and talked with them,” Alić told Fena.
The union previously announced that, if the situation is not resolved, all members of the Main Committee of the RMU Zenica Union will join the miners in the pit on Monday. This would further radicalize the protest.
Expected a concrete agreement on salaries
Alić states that the union expected that after calling and persuading the workers to come out of the pit, a concrete solution would be reached.
“We expected, after yesterday’s calls and persuasions for the workers to withdraw from the pit, that the situation would be resolved, that we would receive, at least in writing, some date for when salaries would be paid, but nothing of that,” he said.
He added that there is growing distrust among the miners.
“People don’t trust anyone anymore, because it seems they can’t even find half a million KM for us,” said Alić.
One miner returns to the pit, the other goes to recover
Of the two miners who fell ill on Friday and then left the pit to be helped by the Zenica Emergency Service, one has returned to the pit again.
Mirza Memčić decided to continue the protest together with the other miners.
At the same time, colleagues managed to convince Miroslav Milanović, who was also transported by ambulance for medical attention, to listen to the doctor’s advice and go home to recover.
Miners demand payment of back wages
The miners are protesting because of the unpaid salaries for May and June, which, they claim, were promised to them last month. In the meantime, the deadline for payment of salary for July is approaching.
Health insurance is an additional problem. Two days ago, workers were temporarily and for now until September 6, allowed to have their medical records certified again.
Millions in Debts for Health Contributions
The Health Insurance Institute of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZZOZDK) is claiming debts from three coal mines in that canton – Kakanj, Breza and Zenica – which operate as part of the Elektroprivreda Bosnia and Herzegovina Concern.
The total debts for health contributions exceed 175 million KM. ZZOZDK has currently requested at least partial payment of the debts, namely 20 million KM, in order to ensure health insurance for miners.
The request was not met, but the Institute has for now agreed to allow the verification of health cards for workers at the three mines for a period of 30 days. After that, the workers’ disobedience in the Kakanj RMU was stopped.
The debts for health contributions from the three mines exceed half of the annual budget of ZZOZDK, which amounts to around 320 million KM, Fena writes.
