Ministry of Energy promises to repay over $18.9 million debts on wages to miners until November

Repayment of arrears of wages to miners will begin on October 20 and should be completed before the end of this month. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Anatoliy Korzun today in the Verkhovna Rada, Interfax-Ukraina reports.

It is noted that at the moment the arrears of wages to miners slightly exceed $18.9 million.

Korzun recalled that the government approved the mechanism for repayment two weeks ago, and part of the funds would be provided through the sale of products.

In response to criticism of the absence in the government draft of the state budget-2018 of an article on the partial coverage of costs for finished products of state-owned coal enterprises, the deputy head of the Ministry of Energy said that they continue working on this issue.

The press service of the Prosecutor's Office of the Donetsk oblast informs that only in this region wage arrears to miners exceed $2.3 million. The local prosecutor's office entered information into the Single Register of Pre-Court Investigations on the grounds of a criminal offense under Part 1, Article 175 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the fact of non-payment of wages to miners.

In particular, it is established that the arrears to employees of the mine 1/3 Novohrodivska of SE Selidovuhillia are $118 thousand for August-September, the state enterprise Myrnohradvuhillia currently owes over $2.2 million.

Earlier it was reported that 34 miners at the 1/3 Novohrodivska mine of SE Selidovuhillia refuse to go up to the surface due to non-payment of their wages. "Yesterday at 11:35 pm the miners temporarily stopped the protest. The miners were promised to be paid for August and September before October 24", - the chairman of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mykhailo Volynets reported.