Ukraine: To the protesting miners of the Krywyj Rih iron ore combine
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- Created: Monday, 14 September 2020 14:08
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Hello miners,
we have heard about your underground strike and your above-ground protests for higher wages and better working conditions. I am a former underground miner with almost 40 years of experience in the German coal industry and you have my fullest solidarity in your struggle.
We are members of the International Coordination of Miners and we find your demands fully justified. It corresponds to our International Program of Struggle by saying: "There are more than 20 million miners worldwide who convey and extract the treasures of the ground under hard and dangerous conditions, but their living conditions are in a bad state. Not only are the wages very low, not allowing for a decent life, but often they stagnate or sink. They are out of all proportion to the work performed by them. Even a nominal wage increase becomes insignificant in view of rising costs of living. For a rise of the miners' wages which will allow for a decent life corresponding to the costs of living in the respective countries!"
And further: "The miners are exposed to extreme conditions – we demand: Reduction of working hours with the goal of a 6-hour day with full wage compensation! In many countries today people fight for a reduction to or compliance with a maximum of 8 hours per day including wage compensation. Ban the system of indirectly enforced irregular working days as well as the extension of shift times including irregular working hours! We fight for each and every job and for new jobs out of responsibility for the youth’s future. The miners who are continuously exposed to hard working conditions which endanger their health have a lower life expectancy. We demand a special system of early retirement for these miners including the same wage as an active worker and without conditions regarding a minimum age.”
I wish you and your families much strength and perseverance.
Here in Germany the last hard coal mines have been closed down and more than 250 miners who are still working for the RAG/RAG Foundation have been laid off, although there is still enough work that is now being outsourced to other companies. They, too, are fighting with us at the moment for their jobs and against the company policy of the scorched earth. The principle of our miners' coordination is that we miners and our families cooperate internationally and coordinate our struggles if we want to become a superior force against the international mining monopolies and their governments. At our founding conference in 2013 in Arequiepa/Peru we decided: "Today it is less and less possible to stand up against the international mining monopolies in isolation and locally limited. What we need is the unity of workers worldwide". We have nothing to expect from the right-wing governments and their lying promises - we have to take care of ourselves!
We will make your situation and struggle known internationally, among other things, on our homepage. Please write us how we can continue to support you and inform us about the further course of events so that we can inform the miners of the world about your situation. I would like to encourage you to become a member of the International Miners' Coordination.
In 2022 the 3rd International Miners' Conference will take place and I would like to invite you to prepare and participate in it.
We can learn a lot from each other and support each other.
Combative and solidary greetings
Andreas Tadysiak,
Main Coordinator of the International Miners Coordination
To the protesting miners of the Krywyj Rih iron ore combine
Hello miners,
we have heard about your underground strike and your above-ground protests for higher wages and better working conditions. I am a former underground miner with almost 40 years of experience in the German coal industry and you have my fullest solidarity in your struggle. We are members of the International Coordination of Miners and we find your demands fully justified. It corresponds to our International Program of Struggle by saying: "There are over 20 million miners worldwide who extract and win the treasures of the soil under hard and dangerous conditions, but their living conditions are very bad. .... A nominal wage increase becomes insignificant in view of the rising cost of living. For an increase in wages that allow a decent life in accordance with the cost of living in the respective countries ...". And further: "The miners are exposed to extreme working conditions - we demand: ... Prohibition of the system of indirectly forced irregular working days, as well as the extension of shift times including irregular working hours. We fight for every job! ... We bear responsibility for the future of the youth.
...”
I wish you and your families much strength and perseverance.
Here in Germany the last hard coal mines have been closed down and more than 250 miners who are still working for the RAG/RAG Foundation have been laid off, although there is still enough work that is now being outsourced to other companies. They, too, are fighting with us at the moment for their jobs and against the company policy of the scorched earth. The principle of our miners' coordination is that we miners and our families cooperate internationally and coordinate our struggles if we want to become a superior force against the international mining monopolies and their governments. At our founding conference in 2013 in Arequiepa/Peru we decided: "Today it is less and less possible to stand up against the international mining monopolies in isolation and locally limited. What we need is the unity of workers worldwide". We have nothing to expect from the right-wing governments and their lying promises - we have to take care of ourselves!
We will make your situation and struggle known internationally, among other things, on our homepage. Please write us how we can continue to support you and inform us about the further course of events so that we can inform the miners of the world about your situation. I would like to encourage you to become a member of the International Miners' Coordination.
In 2022 the 3rd International Miners' Conference will take place and I would like to invite you to prepare and participate in it.
We can learn a lot from each other and support each other.
Combative and solidary greetings
Andreas Tadysiak,
Main Coordinator of the International Miners Coordination