34 People on Hunger Strike in Budryk Mine
Akai47, Pon, 2008-01-21 06:00
English
More miners joined a hunger strike being held in the Budryk mine yesterday. 34 miners are on hunger strike - 30 are 1050 meters below ground in the occupied mine and 4 more above ground. The hunger strike started six days ago with four miners and has spread.
Currently about 150 miners are occupying the mine 700 meters below ground with an additional 200 miners occupying it above.
On Sunday afternoon two of the miners occupying the mine underground felt faint and had to be evacuated. An ambulance was called. One of the hunger strikers had to be hospitalized. According to the strike committee, the action is taking its toll on the health of the miners.
The strike action escalated as the latest negotiations with JSW turned into a fiasco. Budryk was merged with JSW at the beginning of the year. The salaries of miners at Budryk were up to 200 euros lower than the salaries at other mines in the JSW holding company.
JSW is a state-owned mining group which is slated for privatization.
