On December 21, the labor collectives of the uranium mines "Smolinskoye", "Novokonstantinovskaya" and "Ingulskaya" (part of the SE "VostGOK") begin an indefinite protest action. As explained by the Chairman of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mykhailo Volynets, the workers of the only uranium mining enterprise in Ukraine are going to block the routes in the Kirovograd region in protest against the withdrawal of the enterprise into downtime, against the accumulation of wage arrears.
The protest action will be indefinite - the miners are announcing the overlap of the Kropyvnytsky-Kiev, Kropyvnytsky-Nikolaev, Kropyvnytsky-Kryvyi Rih, Kropyvnytsky-Alexandria highways.
Let us remind you that since December 7, the structural divisions of SE "VostGOK" have been put into standby mode.
The company notes that the idle mode was introduced due to systematic delays in money from the State Enterprise "NNEGC" Energoatom ".
NNEGC Energoatom stated that they do not recognize the claims of SE VostGOK regarding the company's untimely payments for uranium concentrate, which NNEGC purchases in accordance with a long-term agreement concluded in November 2019.
The union said that the suspension of the mines will lead to the bankruptcy of the enterprise in early 2021, as well as to an environmental disaster in the region.
On December 9, a protest action by the labor collective of the SE "Vostok GOK" took place in Kiev. On December 16, miners blocked three highways : Kropyvnytsky-Kiev, Kropyvnytsky-Nikolaev and Kropyvnytsky-Kryvyi Rih.
Vostochny Ore Mining and Processing Plant is the only enterprise in Ukraine that ensures the extraction of natural uranium and the production of its oxide concentrate. Part of the State Concern Nuclear Fuel. VostGOK employs about 5,000 people, part of the staff are uranium miners.
