A total of 15 miners have gone on strike at a mine in the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals, one of them said on Tuesday.
Workers refused to leave the Krasnaya Shapochka bauxite mine on Monday, demanding wage increase and the cancellation of the variable work schedule. The mine is owned by Sevuralboksitruda (SUBR), a member of world’s largest aluminum producer UC Rusal.
The miners are staying at the depth of about 1 km. They receive food and water and were visited by a doctor who said they are in good condition.
A UC Rusal spokesman said the mine was a “high-risk location,” and staying there without permission was illegal.
He said the miners failed to inform the employee about the planned strike beforehand.
This is not the first strike at Krasnaya Shapochka. In spring 2008 about 100 miners refused to come to surface for ten days, demanding wage increase. The court later ruled the strike was illegal.