Staffers of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky's communal services go on hunger strike

Several members of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky's striking communal services personnel went on hunger strike on Wednesday. According to the press-service of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky administration, on Wednesday, members of the strike committee met Mikhail Mashkovtsev, the region's governor.

Petropavlovsk mayor Yury Golenishchev did not take part in this meeting. He said that the strikers' political demands, including suspension of the reform of communal and housing services would not be considered. According to Golenischev, "if the strikers refuse to work, we'll find enough people in the city to clean the streets and to remove garbage".

Meanwhile, the regional administration has satisfied the strikers' economic demands, according to the administration's press-service. The debt on salaries has been practically paid off.

A total of 1,100 staffers of Petropavlovsk's three communal enterprises participate in the strike launched on November 25th.

Streets have neither been cleaned nor sanded in the districts served by the striking enterprises. Emergency brigades only pledge to switch off the facilities of water and energy supply without repairing them.

The appeal to mayor Golenischev asking him to satisfy the strikers' demands has been signed by over 3,500 residents of these districts.

The strikers main demands include: paying off the debt on salaries, increasing the salaries for first-class workers, and suspending the ill-considered reform of municipal housing and communal structures.