Angry miners blame management’s negligence for deaths of their colleagues

13 May, 2010, 04:00

Miners from the Raspadskaya coal shaft, where twin methane explosion took the lives of 66 people last weekend, say management neglected workers’ safety for high productivity.

The atmosphere in the town of Mezhdurechensk is tense. Workers from the Raspadskaya coal mine are angry. They say the reason why dozens of their friends and colleagues died in last Saturday’s blasts was because safety regulations were considered less important than the pressure to produce coal.

“We work under the constant threat of an explosion,” said Vladimir Taminin, who works at the Raspadskaya coal mine. “But we are paid so little. If I don't meet the production target, I am paid less. I have a family of five, what are we supposed to live on? That's why we break safety rules and everybody knows about it. They don't tell us off, quite the opposite, they keep encouraging us.”

Read more

Vladimir has worked at the mine for 21 years. It’s now been equipped with new technology that's safer and easier to use. But for accidents to be prevented, he says, it's not about the equipment, but the attitude of management.

“We had a new German ventilator installed recently. But it's not switched on to its full capacity. That's how they save electricity,” Vladimir said.

On the day of the two explosions, Vladimir was very lucky. His team was on duty but he took the day off to be with his children. His colleagues went down the mine as usual. Now rescuers are still looking for their bodies.

“When I heard about what happened, my first thought was ‘thank God I wasn't there.’ For the past three days I’ve been in a daze. Now I'm slowly realizing what's happened,” Vladimir said.

The miner says he's worried about going down there again, but he loves his job. His family is less enthusiastic.

“We are always scared for our dad, every time he goes down there. And if he's running late, we always fear the worst,” said Vladimir’s daughter.

As the night falls, Vladimir's family can sleep peacefully knowing their father is safe. But for those who lost friends or relatives in the mine, no money can compensate them for what they've lost.