In Dnipropetrovsk region, under the walls of Pavlograd city council, a second rally was held in support of the hunger strikers, miners of the company “DTEK-Pavlogradugol” Volodymyr Bugayov and Andriy Karpenko. On the ninth day of a hunger strike, the protesters demanded that the local authorities and the coal mining company listen to the demands of the hunger strikers and stop putting pressure on the workers of the independent trade union.
Pavlograd miners, who hold their action in the building of the city council, were visited by the MPs – the member of the UKROP party presidium Valentyn Didych and non-factional Andriy Denysenko.
According to Valentyn Didych, the parliamentarians from the UKROP party support the demands of the hunger strikers and defend the constitutional rights of miners to form independent trade unions and to work.
“We came to support the miners who are fighting for their legitimate rights. An independent trade union, which was created by the miners in September, does not have any agreements with DTEK-Pavlogradugol, and its members want to achieve the company’s compliance with the law. The MPs will appeal to all law enforcement agencies and supervisors, as well as prepare a request for a detailed investigation of the situation around the independent trade union. We need to answer: why people are oppressed! For our part, we will carefully and thoroughly examine the situation and demand compliance with the law in order to protect the miners. The MPs have taken this situation under their control,” said Valentyn Didych, a parliamentarian from UKROP.
One of the hunger strikers Volodymyr Bugayov said that on the ninth day without food he feels satisfactorily. He has noticed that together with his colleague Andriy Karpenko, he will not forgo his principles and will continue the hunger strike.
It is to be recalled, Volodymyr Bugayov is initiator of creation of the independent trade union of miners, which defends the legitimate rights of miners to decent working conditions, receiving appropriate salaries, etc. Its formation is not pleasing to both existing trade union organizations and the management of DTEK-Pavlogradugol. Members of the independent trade union began to be dismissed and faced administrative pressure. In protest against such actions of the authorities and management of the company on December 29, Volodymyr Bugayov and Andriy Karpenko started a hunger strike in the premises of Pavlograd city council. On January 3, striking miners began to be under pressure and there was an attempt to oust them – all electrical appliances were taken away from them and their fellows were not allowed to be near the men. On January 2, the first rally was held in support of the miners.
