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Hundreds of miners of the uranium exploitation Crucea are blocked underground, while the Minister of Energy, SME and Business, Andrei Gerea, convened in Bucharest the National Uranium Company (CNU) management during the day today, “to ministry headquarters to inform about the situation,” according to a press release received by energynomics.ro.
Crucea mine is the only operating uranium exploitation in Romania, with two outlets – Crucea and Botuşana, which both employ over 500 miners.
“We note that the Protocol signed on January, 30 between representatives of miners and authorities approved a new formula for calculating the salary for employees in the underground and the subsequent stations, so that they can benefit from increased revenue from February 1, 2015,” reads the Ministry of Energy release.
Miners of uranium mining Crucea resumed protests this Monday after they have been suspended in late January, as they have not received the promised wages and benefits according to the Protocol signed on January 30 by the Minister Andrei Gerea, but instead, are provided only an increase of 5-5.5% in net salary. About 230 miners continued protests in Crucea underground mine, some of them starting to lock in the mine area Botuşana, saying they will remain there until the protocol signed by the Minister of Energy will be fulfilled.
What do miners really expect
CNU Director, Ioan Moraru, confirmed for Mediafax that protesters discussed with representatives of company management, but they are determined to protest until implement the Protocol signed on January 30 Energy Minister Andrei Gerea. CNU Director also said that all they could offer to do the miners was an increase of 5.2 to 5.5 percent of the salary, which did not satisfy the protesters.
Among the miners’ claims, that they consider minimal, are included demand linked to salarz increases but also subsidized treatment holiday tickets and change in the calculus of the base for pensions, as life expectancy of a miner in this area is slightly over 50 years. According to Moraru, part of miners’ requests can be implemented only if the legal framework gets modified.
Miners also require the resignation of the CNU management and also its Suceava branch and ask Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Minister of Energy, Minister Andrei Gerea and social dialogue Minister, Liviu Pop, to come and talk to them.
