Khakasian miners stop hunger strike

Workers of the private Yeniseiskaya mine in Chernogorsk, the Khakasian republic (Siberia), have ended their hunger strike which began on May 17. According to one of them, a member of the initiative group and head of the second mining sector, Sergei Morozov, the demand of the protesters has been satisfied.

As the republic's government promised, today wage arrears have started to be paid not only to the 176 protesters but also to the entire personnel of the mine for the period of October 2003 - April 1, 2004.

Having admitted the insolvency of the mine owners, who promised to settle the wage arrears themselves and failed to do so, the republic's government has provided a budget loan of 6 million 20 thousand roubles (over $200,000) in view of future coal deliveries.

According to Morozov, following the demand of the protesters, no money will be provided for only five staffers of the mine. They are its former director Anatoly Ten Yan Tak, who is now under investigation, and also acting director Alexander Pavlov and another three chiefs of the mine's leading services.