Ukraine's miners protest amid crisis in coal industry, demanding actions

Several hundreds of miners from across Ukraine rallied in central Kiev early Wednesday, demanding authorities to take actions against a crisis that gripped the country's coal mining industry.

The protesters, wearing their orange working helmets and carrying Ukrainian national flags, gathered in front of the Ukrainian parliament building, calling on lawmakers to increase the funding for the mining industry in the state budget for 2016.

The miners also demanded the payment of their delayed wages, which have been withheld for three months.

After the protest outside the parliament, the activists moved to the government building, demanding the cancellation of plans on closing down Ukrainian state-run coal mines.

Some of the protesters were banging their helmets on the pavement near the Coal and Energy Ministry to draw the attention of the authorities.

According to the Ukrainian Independent Union of Miners, coal mining workers from eastern and western Ukraine have participated in the protest.

The crisis in Ukraine's mining industry started last year as conflict between government troops and pro-independence insurgents in Lugansk and Donetsk regions, the country's industrial heartland, have disrupted production.

The situation has deteriorated in April, when the government has decided to cut subsidies from the budget to support the old-fashioned energy-intensive coal industry and close seven out of 35 state-run mines.

As of early December, the total wage arrears in the coal mining industry have reached about 34.5 million U.S. dollars.

From January through November 2015, Ukraine's coal output plunged 40.9 percent year-on-year to 36.4 million tons. Endit