The Apatite company, with 12,500 personnel, several mines and two ore-dressing factories, is owned by the FosAgro holding, Russia's leading phosphate fertilizer producer and a participant in the YUKOS ex-head Mikhail Khodorkovsky's case. In the opinion of the prosecutor-general's office, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev made a fraudulent acquisition of more than $283 million worth of 20 percent state-owned shareholding of the open-end Apatite joint-stock company.
Sergeev indicates that the strikers demand higher wages because though Apatite is a monopolist , it is responsible for the lowest wages in the branch and the region. The wages here averaged 6,300 roubles in July 2003 and slightly more than 5,000 roubles in July 2004.
Besides, the management has been practicing deductions from wages under the pretext of different aims, say for staging various celebrations. The miners say that, with their wages of 4,500 roubles, such deductions can reach 1,500 roubles.
The first strike, which lasted from September 6 to 9, involved 120 workers.
"On September 6, a group of minders demanded higher wages and refused to be lifted to the surface, remaining underground," reported Segeev. For certain reasons, including that of deteriorated health of one e miner, the workers were compelled to end the strike on September 9.
"If wages are not raised within three months, the protest action may assume a wider scale," said Sergeev.
The Independent Miners Union has published a statement pointing to "an absolutely ignorant and inhuman management of the company". In particular, it stays away from any negotiations with workers and , when the strike was on, cut off telephone communication and food supply underground, threatening to crack down on activists and other workers.
The miners have filed several applications demanding that the government pass its judgement on the situation, said Sergeev. A subscription list in support of the miners has already got 250 signatures. Sergeev also said that the miners' discontent could undermine the reputation of the local authorities.
