OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2009. The Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko suggests modernization and reconstruction of coal mines. She announced during the meeting with heads of scientific institutions and machine-building enterprises that ensure needs of coal industry.

Yulia Tymoshenko commissioned the Ministry of Coal Industry to prepare for Government’s consideration a special resolution – plan of modernization and reconstruction of coal branch for 2010 and after to elaborate a plan for three years.

At this, the Head of Government noted that “it is in fact a huge schedule of supply and development of production facilities that can be bought in 2010 at the account of credit resources and plus direct expenses from the budget that are to be spent also for modernization and reconstruction”. According to her, there are three sources of financing of the mentioned program – expenses of the General and Stabilization Fund and drawing funds under the state guarantees.

“The variant of Government is as follows: 2008-209 – we have significantly raised salaries and pensions, 2010 – we will direct efforts for technical re-equipment,” the Prime Minister explained and added that the Gov’t intended to raise salaries but so that not to ruin the process of renewal of operation of mines.

At this, Yulia Tymoshenko called on all the heads of coal enterprises to hold meetings with their labour collectives in order to come to a joint decision concerning plans of use of funds in 2010. “As the Government we will resign to the opinion of the employees of the branch but I would like you to support the Government also, as we cannot idle any longer. Old equipment, non-effectiveness of the existent cycles which can be replaced with machines instead of use of human resources, all these are used regardless of human health, in spite of the effectiveness of production,” Yulia Tymoshenko explained.

The Premier informed the Gov’t was to finance a program on protection and safety of labour at mines during 2009-2010, in particular introduction of UTAS in production.