Izvestia: "Miners should have insurance"
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Novokuznetsk on Thursday to once again discuss the reasons behind the dreadful tragedy at the Raspadskaya coal mine that claimed the lives of dozens of miners and rescuers, and ways to prevent similar accidents in the future. He also met with miners and the families of the blast victims.
The twelve women invited to meet the prime minister held themselves with admirable reserve. There were no tears or a tragic wringing of hands. They had lost their husbands and sons and had to take over their families both emotionally and financially. They certainly had a lot of questions, but Putin began by telling them in a few words why there was no detailed explanation for what happened at Raspadskaya on the tragic night of May 8.
"I am not talking about pursuits or witch hunts," he said. "The investigatory bodies are not going to label anyone as guilty. We are going to make every effort to have an objective investigation. This applies both to the causes of the accident and the responsibility of certain officials if their guilt is proven by investigation. People are working in difficult conditions, and I do not want to rush individuals who are putting their lives at risk. Emergency crews are working manually due to certain restrictions on using equipment, and this is physically demanding work."
Nevertheless, the investigation into the tragedy should be accelerated, the prime minister said, while addressing the management of Rostekhnadzor, Russia's industrial safety watchdog. He added that parliament should speed up the adoption of a law on compulsory liability insurance at dangerous facilities.
He stressed that the best way to make company managers invest in safety is insurance, according to international practice.
They also talked about the human dimension of the tragedy.
"I live in a mining town, my father is a miner (he has worked at Raspadskaya mine for 25 years), my husband has worked here, and so have many of my friends who, thank God, are alive", Yekaterina Ogorodnikova said. "I think the miners are neglected. Before, when things were just starting here in Kuzbass, a miner had the same prestige as a cosmonaut. And what do we see today? A man works like a horse for eight hours and earns a pittance with his sweat and blood". In a bid to call attention to the profession's prestige, she added that today a miner "comes home, and he does not know how to use his wages to patch up all the holes in the budget".
The prime minister said he would seek to change the industry contract to ensure that the fixed part of the miners' pay is no less than 70%, so they will not have to kill themselves to earn extra money. But that was not all.
"The miners will have their pensions raised by 7,700 roubles", Putin said. "The law has been passed and will come into effect on January 1, 2011". As the average pension is 8,800 roubles now, the amount is set to nearly double.
And what will happen with Raspadskaya? The prime minister was asked by the miners he met in Novokuznetsk.
"The mine can and must be restored", Putin said, firmly adding that the restoration will cost 10 billion roubles (over $325 million).
"That is a great burden on the shareholders, on the owners", he emphasised. "They will have to pay that money out of their pockets. If they need help, I repeat, we will lend a hand. But they must state clearly what they need".
However, first of all, we have to put an end to the accident and extinguish the fire, he added.
Anastasia Savinykh
