The mine of one of the wealthiest Britons Gokul Binani has stopped excavations because the miners have not received their money for June. Because of that, they are not covered by health insurance. This is the sixth day since workers have partially and in some areas fully stopped their work, as a warning to the mine’s management. This past Friday they did not enter the mines at all. The same happened on the weekend, confirmed the syndicate. In the last three days of this week only the first shift came to work.
Yesterday and during the night only few of the miners enter the tunnels. The president of their syndicate Branko Dimitrovski says that they have not received their June checks, along with health contributions, in full.
– Most problematic is the health insurance, which we don’t have because they haven’t paid contributions- says Dimitrovski.
From the mine’s management had promised they had promised that they will pay the health converage. However, for the miners, whose monthly salaries are around 250 euro, there are several other problems. They complain about the working condition and are asking for modern working equipment- the lack of which had caused several accidents in the mine. Adequate protective equipment is also missing.
The owner of the mine Gokul Binani has met the syndicate several times this year. Last time they had met in June when Binani had promised he will initiate the first investment. The British businessman of Indian origin, who took over the mine in 2006, has never entered the mine to see the working conditions there. Last year he engaged personally around the mine after unofficial information circulated that the Government of Macedonia has announced terminating Binani’s concession contract. That something is in the works with the mines in Macedonia is shown by the latest news coming from the well-doing mine Sasa, operated by a Russian concessioner “Solvey”. It is said the majority of the mine’s shares will be purchased by an American investor.
The Toranica mine syndicate find it most important that their primary requests are met, such as working conditions and salaries, which have caused them for the second time this summer to stop their work in the mine.
V. K.
