Some of the miners barricaded in the underground of Lonea and Vulcan mine agreed to resurface, but their protest will continue, writes Agerpres. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, representatives of Hunedoara Energy Complex (CEH), Mountain Union, county prefect, Sorin Vasilescu, and the receiver of CEH, Dan Agrişan, discussed with protesters blocked in mines, reports Agerpres.

After discussions, 60 miners from Lonea came to surface, but in underground they left at least 40 miners, said the President of Mountain Union, Petre Nica. A similar situation is at Vulcan Mine, where miners have decided to continue the protest.

Employees require a clear response regarding support for CEH from the government in order to avoid bankruptcy. Minister of Energy claims that the unit in Hunedoara can break the deadlock, stating in a press brief the past achievements that saved the complex this winter.

“We took an Energy Complex penniless, with enforceable worth tens of millions of RON and about 30 requests for insolvency. In December, we did not had the money to pay wages and we were about to condemn the entire Jiu Valley to cold and to poverty all those who work in the mines or power plants.

With great efforts from the Ministry, the firm and especially the people who work at Hunedoara, we almost survided the winter, we paid every cent owed to employees and have stabilized the financial situation, despite all impediments, locally or centrally. I remind you that during the hard cold period, suppliers were refusing to send warm meals in the mine, and at midnight, some carriers were prepared to let people exit the mines in the cold and in the dark.

This winter we have not brought any ton of coal from import. We proved that we can stand our ground, after in recent years we have imported several hundred thousand tons of coal. All financial resources, all the money we had, went to Romanian mines. Together we went over all these difficulties seemed insurmountable in the beginning of winter”, the minister explained.