The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO expresses solidarity
with the miners of Kuzbass. We are prepared to provide informational
and other support to the present miners’ trade unions and
the initiative groups aiming to create new civil society structures
for protection of workers' rights.
There is only one way to prevent a social outburst which
is attention to the workers’ demands and respect to the activists
representing their interests.
Expect that the OMON special police will be able to deter
public discontent can be compared with putting out a fire
with petrol.
Mass-scale actions with unpredictable consequences are not
being prepared by some mysterious forces, they are caused
by irresponsible business and those representatives of the
authorities who do nothing for organisation of a civilised
dialogue between the owners of the miners and the workers
while announcing without any hesitation and in the absence
of any investigation that all the participants of these spontaneous
actions drunken hooligans.
This leaves only one form of protest for the people - an
action of despair. We should also realise that the miner's
demands of higher wages are not a manifestation of their dependency
or populism of their leaders, this is an objective consequence
of the real situation when people have to daily risk their
lives so that to provide a living for the family. The owners
of the mines virtually make miners violate the safety requirements,
because in the opposite case they will get only a scanty benefit
instead of a wage.
Everyone knows this, mass media also write and speak about
this after each tragedy at the mines, however no changes follow.
This problem can be solved only via a dialogue with the workers.
Russian large business treating independent trade unions like
enemies will no go for such a dialogue, therefore, creation
of conditions for such a dialogue should become a direct responsibility
of the authorities of all levels.
Miners have the right to fight for safe working conditions
and decent living. The state must make a radical revision
of the labour law and change its attitude to the regulators
that have to control implementation of the law.
We are calling President of Russia to create a special commission
for examination of the justified claims of the miners and
development of social support measures for their families
from the federal budget.
Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party
See also:
Sergei Mitrokhin’s condolences
on the tragedy at the Raspadskaya mine. May 12, 2010.
Human
Rights
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