Without salaries, hot meals, and loan installments, Zenica miners will not go down into the pits

SARAJevo, (Patria) - There is no production in the Zenica mine's facilities today. Through yet another in a series of worker insubordinations, miners are ultimatively demanding from the management the payment of April salaries and hot meals, as well as the payment of funds that banks have seized from them because the company failed to pay loan installments. The new blockade of the mine's account, which is burdened by multi-million debts, has once again raised the question of the future of mining in the Zenica coal mines.

Until the overdue salaries, hot meals, and money for loan installments that the mine has not paid to the banks are paid out - the miners will not go down into the pits.

"Workers came for roll call and went home. People, damn it, are called yesterday - their second loan installment is being deducted. I said - this is psychological warfare," says Elvedin Avdić, president of the RMU Zenica Trade Union.

However, there is no solution in sight. The management claims that with every work stoppage, new losses are incurred and that the financial situation is getting worse day by day. The mine's account is blocked due to a 4.6 million debt to suppliers and due to lawsuits from former and current employees for whom contributions were not paid. That's not all - almost a million and a half marks are missing for salary payments.

As stated by Mensur Hukić, director of ZD RMU Zenica, the cause is insufficient mine revenues due to failure to meet coal production plans, the sale of which cannot cover the mine's current obligations, such as salaries and obligations to suppliers and the state.

Miners are also aware that the situation is most alarming in the Zenica mine. The story of mine restructuring, initiated by the Government of FBiH in the previous term, at least from the perspective of the Zenica Coal Mine, has not moved beyond daily problems - blocked accounts and worker insubordinations.

"In Zenica, more than in other areas, numerous issues need to be analyzed, the workforce structure - we need to see what can be done, in accordance with current legal regulations, and on the principle of voluntariness, retirement to change the structure and workforce ratio," explains Sinan Husić, president of the Independent Trade Union of Mine Workers of FBiH.

Member of the RMU Zenica Trade Union Board, Nedžad Duraković, points out that the problems and debts are so widespread on all grounds that the mine constantly sends requests for assistance from month to month - but that higher levels are silent: "We hope that with the change of government, some better winds will come from Elektroprivreda and from the relevant ministry and government - and that they will finally resolve if the future of the Mine is in production and invest some money."

Previous account blockades were resolved by looking the other way, and the lack of money through loans from the ruling company. Currently, there are no indications whether the financial fire at the Zenica coal mines will be extinguished in a similar way this time, so that the miners would at least receive their overdue payments. However, one thing is certain - the only systemic solution for the accumulated problems is the right solution. Until then, it seems, the story of problems and miners' dissatisfaction could be repeated at this mine from month to month.