RMU Zenica miners protest again before company management: Dissatisfied due to delayed salaries

(Patria) - Zenica miners gathered this morning, for the second time this week, in front of the company's administrative building to express their dissatisfaction due to delayed salaries.

Two days ago, after a workers' assembly and dissatisfied with the explanations from director Mensur Hukić, the workers dispersed quickly, but they announced then that they would gather again today.

The miners are demanding salaries for May and June, and they have already earned their July salary, which should be paid by August 25.

- Today's gathering is a continuation of the gathering from two days ago, where people sought additional information since they had been waiting a long time for the payment of the May salary, as well as the July salary.

Yesterday, we had a meeting at the relevant mining ministry in Sarajevo, which was also attended by the director of the Public Enterprise Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine, Sanel Buljubašić, and at which we received a general explanation that we cannot expect the payment of the May salary before the end of next week – said the acting president of the RMU Zenica Trade Union, Nedžad Duraković, in a statement to Fena.

Initiatives have been launched, he said, to speed up the payment of other arrears to the miners as much as possible, and for this purpose, director Hukić is in negotiations today with the management of the Kreka mine in Tuzla, which has expressed interest in purchasing a machine for preparatory works, and whose sale could facilitate the payment of the June salary.

- Of course, we are not satisfied with such an explanation and the additional waiting for the May salary, but we are forced to maintain these mines and wait until the end of next week to receive the May salary – said Duraković.

Zenica mines, as unprofitable for further production, are designated by the parent company JPEPBiH and the Government of the Federation of BiH for definitive closure, so production in the "Raspotočje" mine was halted at the beginning of March, while production in the "Stara jama" facility was halted back in May last year.

Currently, around 200 workers are employed in mandatory inspection tasks in these two mines, and the remaining approximately 400 workers are on temporary layoff and receive only compensation in the amount of the minimum personal income in FBiH until a final solution to their status is reached.

The closure plan for the RMU Zenica envisages that up to 350 workers will be retired. Some will be reassigned to the Kakanj and Han Bila mines near Travnik, and some will, with adequate severance pay, be sent to the employment bureau.

The miners are also dissatisfied with the slowness of the procedure, i.e., the implementation of the Law on the Closure of RMU Zenica, which will end coal production in this Central Bosnia city after more than 140 years.

The Zenica mine was opened on May 5, 1880, when the "Barbara" mine, or "Stara jama," was opened. The "Stranjani" mine was closed in 2019, and the open-pit mines "Mošćanica" and "Rača" significantly earlier.