Конфедерація вільних профспілок України  kvpu.org.ua

STATEMENT TO ITUC ON THE EVENTS IN UKRAINE

The Consequences of military conflicts’ escalations in the East of Ukraine touched upon today not only Ukrainian families but the people, whose relatives and dear ones perished in the tragedy of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on 17 July 2014.

During the military aggression, financed from outside, hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and peaceful citizens were killed in Donbas region of the country and the death toll increased yesterday by 300 foreign of the flight downed in Donbas. The Ukrainians mourn together with the families who suffer loss. Their loss is massive.

The Confederation of Free trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) is deeply concerned over the situation and events being spread in the eastern parts of Ukraine. Working people and ordinary citizens become hostages of extremists groups in the conditions of terroristic aggression.

The terroristic aggression destabilizes political and economic situation and draws peaceful population into military conflicts. The peaceful people of Donbas lose their working places and get deprived of the means of livelihood that is forcing them to migrate to other Ukrainian oblasts.

The KVPU calls upon international and national organizations to unite all efforts in order to reinstate peace in Ukraine and prevent cynic murders of peaceful people.

Sincerely,

Mikhailo Volynets

Head of the KVPU

 

 

TERRORISTS ENCROACH UPON MINES IN DONETSK OBLAST

21 June, 2014 

It’s been two days since President Poroshenko announced his peaceful plan in Donbas region. Despite that plan the terrorists seized mine DTEK Komsomolets of Donbas today at 11:00 a.m. The mine, belonging to oligarch Renat Akhmetov, produces 13 000 tons of coal for 24 hour.  Around 4000 miners work at the mine. And it is considered as one of the best mines not only in Ukraine but internationally.

In the morning at 11:00 a.m. unknown people in an armored personnel carrier (BTR) and in a truck with signs “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) broke into the territory of mine Komsomolets of Donbas.  In the administrative building of the mine they placed the administrative personnel on the floor down-faced, having taken mobile phones from them.  Other terrorists came into the mine’s management office and demanded that the managers give them money and autos. As it turned out to be that there were no money the terrorists went to the parking space and expropriated 13 KRAZ trucks, 5  Gazel autos and 5 cars.  At that time there were 700 miners working in the mines.  Any explosion could  have led to irrevocable circumstances and the miners could have died. In a while a group of the same armed people detained 800 miners heading for their shift. Those miners who attempted not to listen to the terrorists received warnings of shooting at them.

Such terrorist activities at the mines in Donbas become habit among militants of the DPR. The mines of enterprises of Sverdlovsk Atratsyt and Rovenki Antratsyt were subjected to the seizure of separatists  in May. The mines’s operation of Metinvest company in Sukhodolsk and Molodogvardeisk were stopped by separatists. The separatists’ aim is to destabilize the peaceful working environment, deprive the miners of their work and, eventually, destroy the economy.

This act of terrorism is performed during the weekend in order to lessen the attention of Ukrainians and international community to the violence in Donbas during peaceful initiative declared by the President.

The independent Trade Union of Coal Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) calls upon the international trade union organizations to  voice the campaign condemning the violence over working people of Donbas in order to protect working places, peace and freedoms of working people.

KVPU REQUEST FOR SUPPORT ON SITUATION IN EAST

19.05.2014

Dear Brothers and sisters,

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) is deeply concerned over the situation in the eastern part of Ukraine, where the groups of pro-Russian occupants tend to seize the power and annex some Ukrainian oblasts.

After the Russian annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea based on the illegitimate referendum and falsified voting data results (no more than 34% of people voted vs declared 85%), the Kremlin leaders decided to destabilize the situation in the southern and eastern oblasts of Ukraine, provoking there disorders and chaos. The Kremlin terrorist and the leader of so-called self-defense based in Sloviansk-town (Donetsk oblast) lieutenant-colonel of Russian Federation FSB (Federal Security Bureau) Headquarters Igor Girkin, attempts to recruit  separatists and criminal elements from all over Donbas region. Due to the small number of separatists in his group, Girkin calls upon women to join his “army”.

The capture of administration buildings, terrorist activities followed by dozens of deaths of peaceful citizens, proclamation of their own rule, intimidation of local inhabitants, kidnapping, torture of pro-Ukrainian journalists, politicians, international observers, and simply workers – this is the Kremlin methodology to destabilize the situation in the country. Russia applies all possible provocative and disinformation instruments among population, cynically ignoring ethic and universal values. The similarity of such Russian outrage on the annexation of Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia doesn’t cause any doubts among progressive mankind. The results of such annexation are known.

Ukraine with its population of 45 mln people wants to live in peaceful and democratic society and Ukrainians can resolve their own all internal political issues without external interference of “older brothers”. What aims does Vladimir Putin pursue..?

Donbas is the coal-mining region. Miners themselves do understand the consequences of pseudo-referendums and annexations. What destiny will the most dangerous mines in the world face in case if Donbas is annexed? The answer is apparent: closure of the mines, labour migration, and devastation of coma-mining towns, and impoverishment of population and etc. Therefore the miners of Ukraine stand up for the united and independent Ukraine. Some activists have already paid price for such position. The members of the Independent Trade Union of Coal Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) Alexander Vovk and Alexander Gurov were kidnapped by terrorists and violently tortured because of their pro-Ukrainian position. It took enourmous efforts to make them released from the hands of terrorists. 

(In the photo:  Alexander Vovk gives interview right after his liberation and Alexander Gurov

In order to preserve peace in the entire European region, the KVPU and the NPGU calls upon International organizations and trade unions, requesting support and expression of solidarity with workers of Sothern and Eastern regions of Ukraine and condemnation of the Kremlin occupational policy.

In solidarity,

Mikhailo Volynets

Chairman of the KVPU

STATEMENT ABOUT THE SEIZURE OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING OF DONETSK RAILWAY BY PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS

19.05.2014

Today in the morning the gunmen of so-called DonetsPeopleRepublic captured the administration building of Donetsk railway. As a result, according to the media center of “Ukrzaliznytsia” (Ukrainian Railway), 2623 fully loaded carriages and 462 empty ones were stopped on their way to Donetsk oblast. From Donetsk the railway workers couldn’t dispatch 3015 loaded carriages and 1355 empty ones to other Ukrainian destinations.

During the intercom telephony communication, the separatists declared that they forbid the freight transportation using railways, except those goods that are heading to Russian federation. This puts at threats the fulfillment of contracts and sound operation of many enterprises.

This outrageous fact confirms that the separatists forget themselves in playing their militant role as such actions will definitely lead to the worsening of the living conditions of people in Eastern parts of Ukraine and an economic collapse of the entire country.

In this regard, we believe that a rapt attention should be paid to reinforced security measures at strategic facilities, nuclear power stations as the consequences of irresponsible and inadequate activities of the separatists  may be catastrophic.

We call upon railway workers, miners, energy companies’ workers, metallurgy workers and employees of  other branches of economy as well as teachers and medical doctors to bring together their efforts in order to rebuff the separatists’ activities aiming to destabilization of the situation in the region, leading to the loss of working places and decrease in salaries.

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) is ready to be in charge of the coordination of  joint efforts and calls upon other trade unions to unite for the sake of the interests’ protection of working people.

Mikhailo Volynetys, Head of the KVPU

Vladymyr Kozelsky, Head of Free Trade Union of Railway Workers of Ukraine

Peter Tuley, Head of the Transport Workers Amalgamation

Volodymyr Fundovnyi, Charmin of Free Trade Union of Educators and Scientists of Ukraine

Oleg Panasenko, Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine

The miner, kidnapped by pro-Russian separatists, arrived to Kiev

May 6, 2014:  Today, the NPGU/KVPU activist of coal mine “Russia” Olexander Vovk arrived to Kyiv after being kidnapped and tortured by pro-Russian separatists. The miner had been kidnapped in Novogrodivka (Donets Oblast). Olexander will stay in Kiyv for a 3 weeks for medical examination and treatment. 

Having arrived to Kyiv form Donbass area Olexander Vovk was immediately surrounded by mass media representatives and civil society activists, trying to get to know what happened to him after he’d been kidnapped and tortured by terrorists. It was hard to recognize Olexander by his appearance as his face was mutilated.

«I had a normal face before the 4^th of May, when I went to visit my neighbor”, – noted Olexander and continued: “I was suddenly caught by some militants from co-called “Donetsk People’s Republic”. By doing so they fired their “Kalashnikov” guns, having left a lot of cartridge cases on the ground. After that we were forced to get into a microbus and they brought us to Donetsk Oblast Administration building. There they started torturing and intimidating us…Among those who kidnapped us were militants from Chechnia. The separatists punched our faces with their feet commenting that we don’t behave and don’t support the Donetsk People’s Republic but the Bandera groups (pro-Ukrainians). I’m an ordinary miner, a pensioner and don’t understand why they were doing this to me”.

According to Olexander there were other miners, pensioners, Chernobyl invalids and local parliamentarians together with him in the captivity. All those people supported the integrity of Ukraine and all of them were cruelly beaten and robbed. Olexander said that those militants took 60 Hryvnas from him as well as his pension certificate. Also Olexander told that he’d seen a young man there from Kyiv – they took him because they saw pictures made in Maidan in his cellphone. Yet his fate is unknown.  

 Olexander Vovk is assured that the local authorities concur to terrorists. He added up that people in Donbas await actions from the central authorities.

After being examined in the Kyiv Institute of Neurosurgery the doctors preliminary diagnosed serious face traumas (facial bone cracks, tissue tearing) and concussion of the brain.

Olexander will spend three consecutive days in the Institute impatient ward. The deputy Director of the Institute Vitalyi Tsymbaliuk assured that the medical treatment would be effective as this establishment has got experience in providing medical care to Maidan activists with similar traumas received during the massacre in January-February this year. The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU) will provide every support to Olexander while he is Kyiv. Also the KVPU will do everything possible to free other kidnapped miners in Donbas and provide them with needed medical and moral assistance.

“The government shouldn’t leave people face-to-face with such problems in the East of Ukraine, provoked by Russia”, – said Mikhailo Volynets, the Head of the KVPU – “The people who express their will to be part of independent Ukraine are persecuted. The terrorists persecute those who believe that coal mines should operate and people should make their living. Putin’s aim is to cleave Ukraine, to impair the economic situation, create chaos and do everything possible to make people beg him to join Russia”. Also Mikhailo Volynets affirmed that Independent Trade Union of Coal Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) together with civil society organisations, human rights’ defenders and mass media are applying maximum efforts to provide every possible assistance to all citizens of Ukraine and especially to those in the East of Ukraine.  

Appeal to International trade unions

25.03.2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

All progressive mankind condemns the unprecedented aggression on the side of Russia and applies enormous efforts in the form of political and economic sanctions for liberation of the Crimean peninsula from Kremlin invaders and for prevention of further Russian occupation of eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

After the Russian military troops annexed the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Ukrainian trade unions addressed Russian and International Trade Unions requesting to bolster up Ukrainian people in their intentions to live in a conciliar and democratic state and to condemn attempts of Russian officials who destabilize the situation in Ukraine with the help of weapons. Such destabilization deprives thousands of working people of their jobs, outflow of capital not only in Crimea but in the entire Ukraine.  Raider seizures of enterprises and negligence of social guarantees on the peninsula is the harsh reality.

However instead of providing solidarity support to working people of Ukraine in their struggle against the military intervention in Crimea, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR) indulges in Kremlin regime by organizing numerous anti-Ukrainian meetings in favor of the annexation of Crimea to Russia (http://www.fnpr.ru/n/241/9135.html), which stimulates the invader’s aggressive actions.

The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine calls upon International Trade Unions to condemn the position of the FNPR and requests to express relevant position on the political activity of the mentioned organization. 

Mikhailo VOLYNETS

Chairman of the KVPU

25.03.2014