Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said, “Ukraine’s mine safety record is appalling, and the fact that this latest tragedy happened inside a conflict zone has hampered rescue efforts, according to local trade unions.
The conflict in Eastern Ukraine makes it all the more difficult, even impossible, to bring about the changes needed to ensure safety standards for miners and indeed workers in other sectors. The only acceptable path forward is through negotiations between all parties to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine – a conflict which has already cost the lives of thousands of people and is causing a humanitarian crisis for the people of the region”.
