Miners' strike in northern Russia

By Dmitry Konstantinov, ICFTU Online…, 160/970610/DK, 12 June 1997

Brussels, June 12 1997 (ICFTU OnLine): 130,000 miners in the coal mining region of Pechorski, in the towns of Vorkuta and Inta in the far north of Russia, voted yesterday to end the strike begun on June 2 to demand the payment of several months' pay arrears.

According to an interdepartmental commission on the economic and social problems in the Pechorski coal-mining region, in which both the miners' unions (NPG and PRUP)and the union of engineers and technicians in the mining industry (TERMI)took part, total pay arrears, ranging from 3 to 8 months across the different pits, amount to over 80 million dollars.

On June 4, deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais promised at a meeting of the commission that one half of the pay arrears would be paid. He urged the engineering industry to pay its own bills to the mines.

The unions had refused to take part in the meeting, however, accusing the government representative of making more empty promises. They recalled that last April the government had promised to solve the problem within 15 days. It was agreed to hold another meeting one week later. That meeting was held yesterday, June 11, and the unions agreed to call off their action.

The late payment of wages has become one of the most serious problems of Russia's transition. It dates back to 1994, and attempts to fight inflation, when the public deficit had risen sharply and there had been no improvement in the collection of taxes.

Workers paid out of the state budget are the most directly affected by the pay arrears, but the mining industry, part of which still depends on government subsidies, is also affected. In the Pechorski mining region, the State only paid 60% of the subsidies promised for the first quarter, and has already decided to reduce its contribution for 1997 by 37%.

To make matters worse, the industries dependent on coal production, particularly the State subsidised engineering industry, have not been paying their coal bills.

The State's debt in the Pechorski region only amounted to 13% of wage arrears. The miners' union still holds the government responsible for the crisis, however, “because it has not been capable of setting the country's economy in order”.

The strike in Inta and Vorkuta is symptomatic of an increasingly tense social situation. On March 27, Russian unions of all tendencies observed a day of protests against the non-payment of wages. The ICFTU added its voice to the protest and, together with the Russian unions, launched an international solidarity campaign. It is estimated that total wage arrears today amount to 10 billion dollars.