Miners in struggle, students against harassment, wages in the construction industry, workers at the front, ambulance drivers, free health workers in Ukraine, couriers in Glovo, ... Russian bombing

Miners need funds, not promises

The miners of the Lviv region and their trade union organisations, in particular the Chervonograd Regional Association of the Independent Miners' Trade Union of Ukraine, have repeatedly appealed to representatives of all levels of the Ukrainian government about the situation at the Lvivvugilya state enterprise, due to the fact that the state enterprise Ukrvugilya has not been paid for coal shipped from February to April in the amount of UAH 426 million.

This has led to the non-payment of workers' wages for February-May and has therefore created social tensions not only in the mining work collectives, but also in more than 6,000 miners' families, who are on the brink of survival.

In order to get paid, the miners are prepared to take radical action - stopping coal extraction from 1 July - and their wives to take spontaneous protest action.

A trade union appeal notes that the SE Lvivvugilya team is constantly fulfilling and exceeding the planned coal mining tasks. The company has shipped products worth over UAH 400 million to SE Ukrvugilya, but has not received the necessary funds. As a result, the miners and their families have been left without a livelihood, as they have not received their fair wages since February of this year.

The miners also warn that the situation is critical and could lead to massive, spontaneous and uncontrollable consequences.

KVPU

 

The Ukrainian Coal Workers' Union insists on the urgent need to examine the issue of wage payments to miners!

enterprises with the non-payment of miners' wages, the President of the Ukrainian Coal Industry Workers' Union (FPU), Andrii Zimin, has sent an appeal to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyridenko and the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Litvinenko.

The appeals point out that, to date, the debt for 2024 alone amounts to more than 740 million hryvnias.

The biggest wage arrears are due to the lack of long-term guidelines for the shipment of coal products from public enterprises and their accumulation in warehouses, which have formed since February in enterprises, especially SE "Lvivvugilya" - more than 420 million UAH and SE "Dobropillyavugillya" - more than 160 million hryvnias.

In general, all state coal companies have a debt of over UAH 2.1 billion. It is systemic in nature and requires immediate review at government level.

Despite the fact that the Ministry of Energy is taking comprehensive measures to solve the energy problems, the situation regarding the sale of coal products remains extremely tense and unresolved.

Tension in the workers' collectives has reached a critical limit.

In order to avoid a destabilization of the situation in mining collectives, unmanaged strikes, etc., during the stable autumn-winter period, the Union demands that the government urgently examine the following issues:

1. Payments to miners for coal products shipped and invoiced by state-owned enterprises to state-owned enterprises.

2. Purchases and placement in thermal production warehouses of coal-based products, which are located in the companies' emergency warehouses, with a view to the urgent repayment of wage arrears, the payment of current wages, and the stable transition to the autumn-winter period of 2024-2025.

3. Take steps to ensure that the government considers the draft law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws of Ukraine concerning debt repayment by state-owned coal mining enterprises by means of a one-off contribution to compulsory state social insurance and financial sanctions (penalties and fines). )", developed by the Ministry of Energy.

The union hopes to solve the problem raised.

FPU

 

First work stoppages in the Lviv mines

[2 miners died in a cave-in a few days ago].

On Thursday 4 July, a meeting was held under the authority of the first deputy head of the Lviv regional military administration, Andrii Godyk, at the state enterprise "Lvivvugillia", where miners have not received their full wages for five months and are owed UAH 470 million.

The meeting was attended by Bohdan Keivan, Director of the Lviv Department of Energy Efficiency, the leaders of the Lviv State Coal Enterprise and its subordinate mines, and representatives of the main trade union organisations at the production units, in particular the leaders of the primary trade unions of the Independent Miners' Union of Ukraine, which are part of the NPSU's regional association, Chervonograda.

The arrival of senior officials from the regional military administration at the company was prompted by a tense situation among the workforce. On Monday 1 July, meetings were held in all the mines, where the miners decided whether to continue working or to stop extracting coal and demand payment of what they were earning. As the decision was not unanimous, some mines temporarily stopped working, while others continued to operate. But everyone agreed that this week it was worth going to Lviv to protest to the regional military administration.

Having learned that a meeting at Cabinet of Ministers level is scheduled for Wednesday 3 July in Kiev to discuss the problems of the national coal mining industry, the miners from the Lviv region decided to postpone the planned action and wait for news from the capital.

The miners in the Lviv region have decided to believe and wait once again, but not for long...

KVPU

 

Priama Diia and bullying at school. Municipal Academy: indifference to harassment

On 19 May, Figger, a student at the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts (KMAECM), lodged a complaint about harassment by his classmates. Figger had been the victim of bullying during the school year, which was reported to the teachers on several occasions. The teachers, in turn, did not follow up the call or report the situation to the victim's parents, providing the pupil with only "moral support". Ridicule of her work and her own opinions, jokes about her orientation, offensive nicknames, filming without consent for humiliating videos are examples of repeated harassment.

Assurances from teachers that the situation was improving did not help. The bullying intensified, prompting Figger to attempt suicide, which took place on 15 December.

On 22 May 2024, the first bullying hearing took place, during which Fidger did not receive the support and understanding of the institution. He continued to hear taunts in the hallway as they queued for the meeting, which were ignored or denied by members of the commission.

On 28 May, a second hearing took place, attended by the police: Figger asked questions about the harassment to representatives of the law enforcement agencies. Without even examining all the evidence, on the same day, at the hearing, the victim was informed that the situation was not recognised as bullying.

The parents and students do not agree with the commission's decision and are asking the public to support Figger and spread the word.

Our union fully supports the victims. Harassment is a serious and widespread problem in many educational establishments, which is not systematically combated. Often, the people concerned are afraid to talk about their problems because they do not expect an adequate response.

If you are a victim of discrimination at your university, we urge you not to remain silent and to contact us for help via the Google form.

No to harassment, yes to solidarity!

Priama Diia (Direct Action)

 

No to wage dumping on the Ukrainian labour market! Workers from other countries should be paid the same as Ukrainians.

Vasyl Andreev, President of the FPU construction union

In his view, this problem has taken on a new colour because information has started to emerge about the involvement of workers from Asian countries in our labour market. Yes, migrant workers are coming, they can work in our market, especially in the current situation where there is a shortage of construction workers. But trade unions around the world are saying that we shouldn't divide people up according to their country of origin.

"But there is a big 'but': they should be paid the same as Ukrainian workers for equal work. Wage levels have risen over the past year in the Ukrainian construction sector and in other sectors of the economy. At the same time, workers from Bangladesh, for example, who now work in the construction sector, receive a salary of 450 dollars at full rate, the most highly qualified - 650 dollars. This undermines the very idea of restoring the Ukrainian economy", stressed Vasyl Andreev.

The condition must be that the wages of workers from these countries must be on a par with those of Ukrainian workers.

"The trade unions will exercise public control over this issue and inform their members, as well as society as a whole, about how migrant workers are participating in the restoration of Ukraine", added Vasyl Andreev.

 

 Kyiv: A third of workers at the front line

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 27% of "Kyivmisksvitlo" employees have joined the armed forces, so the company is currently suffering from a staff shortage. In particular, there is a shortage of electricians, engineers and machinists. The company is currently looking for specialists for various positions.

The capital's metro has also announced a shortage of staff. There are currently more than 15% of vacancies on the metro, including locksmiths, turners, electricians and metro drivers.

Since 3 June, intervals between trains have increased by one minute at off-peak times and by 45 seconds at peak times due to an "acute shortage" of workers.

There is also a 28-30% shortage of specialists in some of the capital's industrial companies. The greatest needs are for drivers, mechanics, machinists and painters.

 

Krementchouk: "We demand that we be given the opportunity to work as before".

The staff at the ambulance station in the town of Krementchouk are asking for the support of the people of the town and the whole Poltava region. The management is planning to reorganise the field teams: instead of two doctors, only one should be on call. The team is categorically opposed to this: in their view, it will primarily affect the quality of the medical care provided.

On Saturday 29 June, almost all the field team staff at the Krementchouk emergency station got

 

Employees' appeal

On behalf of the whole team, Oksana Svynarenko, a paramedic at the Poltava emergency medical centre, the head of the newly-created trade union organisation "Free Health Workers of Ukraine", addressed the public:

"Our team has got together to appeal to the people of the Poltava region to help us. Because our management, the management of the regional centre, in violation of all legal requirements, is planning the departure of ambulance brigades made up of a single medical staff. And this violates government resolution no. 1114 of 21 November 2012. [...]

Staff departures have become more frequent.  This is because we have low wages and difficult working conditions. As a result, people are simply forced to look for another part-time job or resign and look for another job. In addition, many doctors are now joining the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The workers are calling on the regional and local management to listen to them and allow them to work as before"

The station has also been hit by a downsizing or, as it is now called, "staff optimisation".

In the last two months alone, in May and June, 7 employees were made redundant. Last year, around 20 workers were made redundant, including medical, administrative and care assistant staff.

An ambulance driver currently receives around 10,800 hryvnias [€249].

Doctors are a little better off, receiving around 16,000 [€368].

The health workers in Krementchoug say that they will not leave things as they are. Nor will they remain silent.

 Krementchouk health workers speak out on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziZvkialGno&t=112s

 

Glovo couriers humiliated

The frogs and vipers at the Glovo office decided they hadn't done enough to humiliate couriers and decided to humiliate them again. Now, the Glovo app has introduced a lottery called "guess which arsehole we're going to throw you into", which means that the courier will only be able to see the customer's address after receiving the order at the establishment. We'd like to hope that this bullshit is a short-term consequence of temporary mental aggravation on the part of the company's management, but our reserve of naivety has long since run out. It's likely that this idiotic innovation will live forever in our memories...

Glovo couriers' collective

 [this collective has led several struggles, including strikes, in the past, just like the Bolt collective].

 

KVPU statement: Russia is purposefully launching missile strikes on children, patients, and workers in Ukraine

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU), a member organization of the International Trade Union Confederation and the European Trade Union Confederation, calls on the international community, the ITUC, the ETUC, and their member organizations, as well as the governments of democratic states, to strengthen their support for Ukraine. This appeal comes as Russia continues its terrorist attacks and genocidal war in Ukraine.

Today, July 8, 2024, the Russian troops launched massive combined attacks throughout the night, morning, and day on several cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slov’yansk, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk. During these attacks, Russia fired 40 missiles of various types, aiming to kill as many civilians as possible and intimidate the Ukrainian people who are fighting for freedom and democracy.

Russian forces targeted the attack on Monday morning when workers were commuting to their workplaces when they were at work meetings, and while patients were either heading to medical facilities or receiving treatment.

Only in Kyiv, 17 people were killed, and at least 41 were injured as a result of the July 8 attack.

Today, during a Russian combined rocket attack in Kyiv, the city’s oldest and the main children’s hospital ‘Okhmatdyt,’ where seriously ill children from across Ukraine were being treated, came under attack. As a result of the strike on the hospital, there are casualties, and there may still be children, parents, and medical personnel trapped under the rubble, which is currently being cleared. This hospital was visited by the ITUC Mission on May 16, 2024, when global unions leaders had an opportunity to meet with hospital management, trade union members and parents of children injured during the Russian attacks.

On the same day, additionally, another medical facility in the Dnipro district of Kyiv was damaged during a missile attack at noon. Previously, four people were killed. Debris clearance and search operations are still ongoing

On July 8, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Kryvyi Rih and the Dnipro. In particular, a Russian missile hit the administrative building of the Northern Mining and Processing Plant in Kryvyi Rih. As of 12:30 p.m., 10 people were killed and more than 30 injured.

On July 8, three more civilians were killed due to a rocket attack by Russian troops on the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. As a result of the attack, the office of the local organization of the Independent Trade Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine in the city of Myrnograd and Pokrovsky district was damaged.

Today, as a result of the missiles attack on Ukraine, in addition to workplaces and hospitals, residential buildings and transport infrastructure were damaged.

We emphasize that the Russian forces carry out drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities every day.

Russia continues to purposefully target energy facilities to deprive Ukrainian civilians of electricity, communications, and medical services, and to halt Ukraine’s economy. Currently, in Ukraine all thermal power plants have already been destroyed, and hydroelectric power stations have been damaged by Russian forces. As a result, Ukraine is experiencing permanent power outages.

Today, Russia once again cynically violated international humanitarian law, further confirming its goal to destroy Ukraine and its brave people.

Today, Ukrainian workers, trade unionists, and the entire population of Ukraine resist the Russian aggressor and fight for the liberation of the occupied territories, where terror reigns and human rights are not guaranteed. Today, we appeal to the international democratic community with a call:

Continue to provide economic, humanitarian, and aid to Ukraine;
Support the provision of military aid to Ukraine to protect the population, energy infrastructure, workplaces, and the country;
Strengthen sanctions against the terrorist regime of Russia and those who support and finance it, as this can significantly limit the financial resources and export of technologies necessary for the continuation of the bloody war;
Ensure the possibility of using frozen Russian assets to direct them to help Ukraine;
Isolate and remove from positions in international organizations Russian political, public, and trade union figures, as representatives of a country that carries out terrorist activities against sovereign, independent Ukraine and its citizens, and who are trying to undermine the unity of the international democratic trade union movement.

8 july 2024

KVPU