Workers of one of the most dangerous and difficult vocation – coalminers will celebrate their professional holiday in Russia on Sunday. According to the tradition dated back to the forties of the twentieth century Coalminer Day is celebrated in Russia every year on the last Sunday of August.
This date is not accidental. Overnight to August 31, 1935, coalminer Alexei Stakhanov broke a record, producing 102 tonnes of coal for a standard shift of five hours and 45 minutes instead of seven tonnes according to the plan. Stakhanov’s colleagues followed the example of the record breaker, after that “Stakhanov’s movement” became one of the key factors for the development of all industry in the country.
At present, the Russian coalmining industry with more than two centuries of history remains one of the most important basic industries in the country’s economy. Russia has 12 percent of prospected world coal reserves, 241 coalmining enterprises operate in the country, including 104 mines and 137 open pits in the Kuzbass coal basin, Rostov region, Komi, Primorsky Territory and in Sakhalin.
“Russian coalminers produced 309 million tonnes of coal in 2006, and 80 million tonnes of which were exported,” a source in the Russian independent trade union of workers of coalmining industry told Itar-Tass.
“Russia is one of the world leaders in the coal production,” Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko emphasized. “New technologies are largely introduced at many enterprises. But the most important thing is that the glorious traditions of many generations of coalminers are kept and supported,” the minister pointed out.
The coalmining industry will have to handle a quite difficult task in the years to come. The Russian president set a task to increase the share of the new generation coal production in the overall energy balance of the country. The demand for electric power will double by 2025 and for power station coal – more than 2.5 times. According to RAO UES of Russia CEO Anatoly Chubais, the coal consumption in the electric power generating industry will increase from 121 million tonnes to 290 million tonnes of coal by 2020.
Under Russia’s Energy Strategy, the country will produce from 270 to 330 million tonnes of coal by 2010, and from 300 to 430 million tonnes of coal by 2020.
Meanwhile, during his trip to “the coalmining heart” of the country – Kemerovo region First Vice-Premier Sergei Ivanov said it is necessary to give close attention to the security of coalminers. He recalled that a new programme, which will regulate issues of industrial security, will be implemented beginning from 2008.
According to Sergei Ivanov, in order to tighten security in the coalmining industry it is necessary to consider several factors: the enactment of federal laws and standards, which should replace the outdated ones, tougher responsibility of the owners of the mines for their workers. The vice-premier pledged that he would insist strongly so that new security standards be adopted at the level of federal laws by January 2008.
Workers of one of the most dangerous and difficult vocation – coalminers will celebrate their professional holiday in Russia on Sunday. According to the tradition dated back to the forties of the twentieth century Coalminer Day is celebrated in Russia every year on the last Sunday of August.
