Read this article in:
11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 28/1998
The 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) has sent its deepest condolences to the bereaved families of Ukrainian miners killed in Saturday's disaster. At the same time, the International again calls attention to the "unacceptable" conditions in Ukrainian mines and emphasises the need for strict mining safety regulations workdwide.
Following is the full text of today's message from ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe to the ICEM-affiliated Miners' Independent Trade Union of Ukraine:
We have heard news of the tragic disaster at the "Skachinskoho" coal mine in the city of Donetsk, where a methane gas explosion has resulted in the deaths of at least 63 mineworkers. Nothing can compensate for their irreparable loss. Please pass on the deepest sympathy and condolences of all our members to the families and comrades who have been thus bereaved. Another 45 injured mineworkers are in hospital. We send our earnest wishes for their full and early recovery.
We hope that the Commission of Inquiry, which has been set up and includes union officials, will discover the causes of this accident and the means of prevention of such occurrences in future. In the interests of miners everywhere, this full inquiry should contribute to develop and further improve the safety of all mines in Ukraine.
Ukraine's mining industry is undergoing a major restructuring programme under pressure from the International Monetary Fund. Shortage of funds for maintenance, modernisation and replacement of safety equipment does nothing to improve the poor safety conditions in Ukraine's mines.
The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) has repeatedly denounced the fact that mineworkers in Ukraine see themselves condemned to accept a trade-off between paid wages or safe working conditions. ICEM has also drawn attention to Ukraine's unacceptable high record of mine accidents, which resulted in 290 mineworkers killed last year and over 160 miners killed so far this year. Health and safety aspects must be an integral part of any restructuring programme and be treated with highest priority. The life of a mineworker is not just a variable in a cost-benefit analysis!
This terrible disaster further underlines the pressing need for a rapid ratification and full application worldwide of the ILO Convention No. 176 on Health and Safety in Mines, adopted at the eighty second International Labour Conference 1995.
[end of message]
The world's governments, employers and unions are represented within the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO), which adopts and monitors international standards on a wide range of labour issues. Its Convention No. 176, adopted after a major trade union campaign, sets standards for mining safety practice worldwide. The ICEM and its affiliated unions have been pressing all national governments to ratify and fully implement the Convention.
Following is the full text of today's message from ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe to the ICEM-affiliated Miners' Independent Trade Union of Ukraine:
We have heard news of the tragic disaster at the "Skachinskoho" coal mine in the city of Donetsk, where a methane gas explosion has resulted in the deaths of at least 63 mineworkers. Nothing can compensate for their irreparable loss. Please pass on the deepest sympathy and condolences of all our members to the families and comrades who have been thus bereaved. Another 45 injured mineworkers are in hospital. We send our earnest wishes for their full and early recovery.
We hope that the Commission of Inquiry, which has been set up and includes union officials, will discover the causes of this accident and the means of prevention of such occurrences in future. In the interests of miners everywhere, this full inquiry should contribute to develop and further improve the safety of all mines in Ukraine.
Ukraine's mining industry is undergoing a major restructuring programme under pressure from the International Monetary Fund. Shortage of funds for maintenance, modernisation and replacement of safety equipment does nothing to improve the poor safety conditions in Ukraine's mines.
The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) has repeatedly denounced the fact that mineworkers in Ukraine see themselves condemned to accept a trade-off between paid wages or safe working conditions. ICEM has also drawn attention to Ukraine's unacceptable high record of mine accidents, which resulted in 290 mineworkers killed last year and over 160 miners killed so far this year. Health and safety aspects must be an integral part of any restructuring programme and be treated with highest priority. The life of a mineworker is not just a variable in a cost-benefit analysis!
This terrible disaster further underlines the pressing need for a rapid ratification and full application worldwide of the ILO Convention No. 176 on Health and Safety in Mines, adopted at the eighty second International Labour Conference 1995.
[end of message]
The world's governments, employers and unions are represented within the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO), which adopts and monitors international standards on a wide range of labour issues. Its Convention No. 176, adopted after a major trade union campaign, sets standards for mining safety practice worldwide. The ICEM and its affiliated unions have been pressing all national governments to ratify and fully implement the Convention.