site.btaBobov Dol Mine Operator Backtracks on Closure Plans

Bobov Dol Mine Operator Backtracks on Closure Plans

Sofia, October 12 (BTA) - Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova told reporters on Wednesday that Bobov Dol-Coal Mining has backtracked on plans to close its Babino mine, citing new circumstances that have developed.

Bobov Dol-Coal Mining notified to the Ministry on Tuesday plans to close down Babino as mining activities there were not economically viable, Petkova said, adding that a new notification was then received on Wednesday, saying these intentions have been abandoned due to new developments.

On Tuesday, as many as 115 Babino miners refused to leave the mine protesting wage arrears and pay and benefit cuts. The second-shift miners could not go underground and said they will remain in the head office to show solidarity with their colleagues.

According to the trade unions, Babino, which is the largest mine in the Balkans, is to be closed due to the excessively high production costs.

Social Policy Minister Zornitsa Roussinova said on Wednesday that a day earlier the Employment Agency was notified of plans to lay off 650 people. The Minister said they were notified in late September about a delay in the payment of the wages of some of the workers and that a check conducted in early October by the Labor Inspectorate General found that the payment of the August wages had fallen behind schedule and that wages had been slashed by 20 per cent. The employer has been issued seven penalty decrees in 2016 alone, Roussinova said, adding that he has been fined just over 7,000 leva.

The General Labour Inspectorate said that it has ordered the owner of the Babino mine to pay up the full wages to the miners. The owner has also been told to make arrangements for the miners to leave the mine after the end of their shift, to provide food and drinks and ensure the presence of rescuers for as long as there are miners underground.

It was decided at a meeting with the trade unions at the Bobov Dol mines on Wednesday to set up a working group that would discuss on a weekly basis issues affecting the operation of Bobov Dol-Coal Mining and would draw up a working programme aimed at preserving permanent jobs, the management of the mines said.

Despite the meetings, the first-shift Babino miners continued their protest, staying 500 metres underground.