RUSAL is Locking Miners Up Behind the Barb-Wire Fence

09.07.2010 — Analysis

The Severouralsk bauxite mine (the Sverdlovsk Region) has become notorious for rock falls that happen following some regular and tragic pattern: miners were killed in rock slides in May 2002, in March 2004, in May 2007, and in October 2009. Experts state that dynamic forms of rock pressure started manifesting themselves in the 1970s when mining operations moved down to the 350-meter level. Since then, scientists have come across more than three hundred faults and fractures in the existing mine workings, out of which more than two dozen were classified as tectonic rock bumps.

According to experts, the fast rate of descending of the mining level, which in some mines moves down by 20 meters a year, causes rock stress and disturbance of natural equilibrium of the land mass. At the depth of 1,100 meters rock bumps have obscured such mining-related problems as water encroachment of deposits and liability to spontaneous ignition observed in some rocks.

Roman Lukichyov, an official representative of SUBR OJSC in the Ural Region, informed that the company has one of the most efficient rock-burst forecasting services; however, the present-day science is still unable to predict precisely the location and time of an underground local earthquake. In the Kalinskaya mine, the rock burst was expected two days earlier, which made it impossible to avoid casualties.

Anatoly Aksyonov, the head of the rock-burst laboratory at the Ural Department of the Research Institute for Mining Rock Mechanics and Surveying, agrees that regional and local forecasts are not always accurate. The expert thinks that priority should be given to development of the method of intermediate-term earthquake forecasting, which must be applied to the deposits that have composite geological structure.

Anatoly Sashunin, the head of the laboratory for displacement of rocks and prevention of technogenic accidents, the Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is not sure that another regulatory document can trigger any fundamental changes in the situation. SUBR OJSC has plenty of instructions regulating mining operations performed at depth and personnel safety. Some people even were granted state awards for development of earthquake forecast methods. Yet, the problem is still there, and, according to the expert, there are several reasons for it.

In the recent years, the research of the hazardous phenomenon has lost most of its thoroughness: Sevuralboksitruda has its seismic station and professionals; however, there is no understanding about processes of stress formation in the earth crust and, consequently, potentially dangerous locations cannot be identified. According to A.Sashunin, fundamental research is required, but at the bauxite mine, the research is limited to perfunctory measures. On the surface, everything looks impressive; however, in reality, scientific studies lack both the intellect and the heart. The scientist thinks that the downfall in specialist qualifications observed in all the industries is becoming the prevailing feature of the present-day Russia. The trend is added up with negligence of personnel and penny-pinching attitude of factory owners.

Most of the production facilities that today are in the ownership of Oleg Deripaska were built years back during World War II, and the owner is in no haste to upgrade them. For example, in October 2009, in one of the workshops of the Bogoslovsky Aluminum Plant the roof collapsed and the Severouralsk mine is still using manual labor in most of its operations. In spring 2010, the special commission found a lot of violations at SUBR: absence of properly spaced air ducts in some galleries, violations of safety regulations during installation of anchors and supports in mine workings, etc.

Talgat Satarov, the head of the shop-floor union organization at the Miners' Trade Union of the Urals, says that safety rules are violated continuously at SUBR - including shaft-men themselves. People take hazards because they are interested in earning money. If everything is done by regulations, i.e. following what is written in the miners' "red book", the operations will turn into a work-to-rule strike.

The trade-union leader asserts that miners do not feel confident about the future: the amount of work is rising and the wages remain at the same level. Any talks about a wage increase are perceived by the administration as acts of provocation. The Sevuralboksitruda personnel are always instilled an idea that nobody needs their work: no one in the world extracts bauxites from the 1,200 meter level; therefore, if the owner would desire, he would import alumina from Australia. At the same time, the mining management tries to tighten the screws in order to increase labor productivity. The shaft-men are told: if you want to make money, you should work half as much.

Labor deeds of some miners lead into losses for others: T.Satarov states that the gross payroll remains unchanged and causes the situation when several working teams have to "on short rations". The wages of tunnel workers can exceed the wages paid to utility workers several times - whereas years back, the difference constituted only 20-30%. This spreads discord among the workers: it was several times when the miners sorted out their labor relationship with their fists.

The social security offered to the retired workers also leaves much to be desired. In the Soviet time, a SUBR pensioner received 170-200 rubles a month, which covered living expenses, summer holidays at the seaside and even assistance to his grown-up children. Today's pension is 6-7 thousand rubles a month - the amount, which is hardly enough to pay utility bills. In their attempts to make both ends meet, miners have started documenting their occupational diseases in hospitals, which they never did during the Soviet time, demanding compensation for their damaged health.

The mine managers, concerned about the growing injury rate, try to make adjustments in the statistics. Talgat Satarov says that with reference to formal grounds, the state fund of social insurance has many times denied paying compensation to workers for damaged health. Miners apply to the court, claiming that they do not need wages equal to those paid in the industrialized countries, but they want the money that would provide decent life.

Trade-union leaders of SUBR say openly that they pinned their hopes on the new owner represented by UC RUSAL (before, the enterprise belonged to SUAL-Holding). However, their expectations failed. More than that, they cannot understand why the SUBR employees are facing more difficulties, while the government assistance to the company is increasing. For example, in June 2010, the deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region decided to grant the enterprise a remission of taxation for mineral extraction. The funds in the amount of 619 million rubles were earmarked for the construction of a new mine. In this connection, Talgat Satarov remarks: "The RUSAL owners are building their enterprises through the money received from tax-payers, i.e. through our money. Which of us is the sponger then?"

The SUBR owners are aware of the sentiments prevailing among their employees; therefore, they try to prevent any miners' riots on the eve of the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who are coming to the Urals. According to Valery Zolotaryov, the head of the Severouralsk Division of the Independent Trade Union of Russian Miners, the most "turbulent" mines are being fenced with barbed wire. "They are doing this, the trade-union leader is joking, so that I would tear my pants, ramming my way to meet with the workers".

Vladimir Terletsky