Miners in pits start hunger strike, several taken to hospital

ZENICA, (Patria) - Two miners from Stara Jama and one from Stranjani were taken to the Zenica Cantonal Hospital on Tuesday evening due to deteriorating health. Together with their colleague who was transferred to the hospital earlier, a total of four miners have felt the consequences of the hunger strike, N1 reports.

Miners of the Brown Coal Mine in Zenica decided on Tuesday to remain in the pits and thus protest over delays in salary payments. More than a hundred miners from the first two shifts entered the Stranjani and Stara Jama pits during the day, but after the end of their working hours they refused to come out and announced they would stay in the pits until their demands are met.

They made this decision after negotiations between their representatives and officials of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held during the day in Sarajevo, ended without an agreement. The miners also started a hunger strike.

The accounts of the Zenica mine are blocked due to accumulated tax debt that has exceeded 140 million BAM, so the miners have not received their salaries for August.

Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Nermin Džindić said after negotiations with the miners' representatives that the current situation is unsustainable, but pointed out that it is not the responsibility of the government but of the mine management and Elektroprivreda BiH, within which they operate. The director of JP Elektroprivreda, Bajazit Jašarević, said after the meeting in the FBiH Government that of the three pits of the Zenica mine, only one is producing.