After the meeting with the miners at the T. Kuzembayev mine, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan Satybaldy Dauletalin laid flowers at the memorial complex in memory of the miners at the «Abayskaya» mine in the Abay city, Karaganda region.
The memorial complex was erected on the anniversary of the largest accident, in memory of the miners who burned alive in the mine in 2008. Then 30 people died, 23 of them remained underground. As the miners themselves say, the memorial is installed right above the place where the bodies of their dead comrades remained.
Then, in Shakhtinsk, Satybaldy Dauletalin visited the families of miners who died on August 17 during a fire in the «Kazakhstanskaya» mine.
Over time, the relatives of the deceased miners have more and more questions: “Why did this tragedy happen?”, “Why were not everyone able to get out of the mine?”, “Who will be responsible for the death of people?”, “Will the families who lost their breadwinner be left alone with their problems?”.
Chairman of the FTURK Satybaldy Dauletalin and his colleagues from the coal miners’ union «Korgau» told the wives of the deceased miners Diana Khalikova, Natalia Slyunkova and Kamila Starovoit about the measures taken by social partners after the mine accident.
“A special government commission is currently working, investigative bodies are also doing their work, it is necessary to wait for the end of the investigation so that those responsible for the death of the miners will be punished accordingly. In the meantime, the trade unions will monitor the employer’s full compliance with the norms of the collective agreement in relation to the dead and injured miners. At «ArcelorMittal Temirtau», our trade union has ensured that this document includes norms with certain guarantees for the families of workers who suffered in group accidents at work. This is the payment of compensation for the official salary for 10 years of work, the provision of an apartment to the family of the deceased within the borders of the Karaganda region, and others. We will not leave you in these difficult days for all of us” Dauletalin told the widows of Satybaldy.
“On all issues related to the necessary assistance for the families of those killed and injured in the «Kazakhstanskaya» mine, relatives can count on the full support of the trade union” Evgeny Buslaev, chairman of the «Korgau» trade union, added.
After the meetings in Shakhtinsk, the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan together with his colleagues visited the miners of “Kazakhstan” receiving treatment at the regional multidisciplinary hospital named after Professor H.Makazhanova.
According to the director of the Yerkin-Daur Kurmangaliev hospital, there is no danger to the lives of the injured miners, all 13 patients are in the neurological department and receive appropriate medical care.
“The acute phase lasted five to seven days. Now their lives are not in danger. They were transferred from the toxicology department to the neurological department. According to the protocol, the miners will spend two weeks here. However, they still must undergo long–term outpatient treatment and rehabilitation” Yerkin-Daur Kurmangaliyev said.
The miners themselves complained of still incessant headaches and nightmares at night and told how they escaped during the fire.
“The lamps on the helmets did not help, there was thick smoke around, we walked by touch, bumped into each other, picked up comrades, and continued to walk from memory – feeling the familiar space” said Valery Oberderfer, a mining master, part–time mechanic, without holding back tears.
During the fire in the «Kazakhstanskaya» mine, not only miners who were underground were injured, but there were two women among those receiving medical care in the hospital. The boiler room engineer Anna Zarusinskaya and the timesheet operator Antonina Shatilova were on the surface of the mine, but the smoke that rose the shaft overtook them when they met and marked the miners coming to the top.
Satybaldy Dauletalin talked to each of the 13 victims, wished the miners a speedy recovery, and said that their further rehabilitation in the sanatorium conditions of the trade unions take over.
“We consulted with the attending doctors and decided that your further rehabilitation should take place in the Borovoe sanatorium and resort area. As soon as the medical treatment is completed, we are ready to provide you with the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation procedures. The main thing is to get better. We need you, your family, and friends. We will help you and do everything in our power so that you restore your health as soon as possible and return to a full life” the Chairman of the FTURK noted.
Media Center of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan