A picket of workers of the Kumtor gold-mining enterprise is being conducted in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Around 30-40 persons have gathered in front of the building of Uchkun printing complex, where the company's head office is located. People are keeping posters in hands and demanding the increase of wages, news agency "24.kg" reported.
"We want the company to increase our wages by 40-50 percent," says Adil Idirisov, the member of the KOC trade union committee. "The workers receive on average 30-35 thousand soms. But life is getting expensive, inflation is growing. Gold has gone up in price in the world market twofold. The company allocates dollars to the wages fund, but pays salary to us at the 2-3-years-old rate."
According to Adil Idirisov, around 2,000 people are participating in the termless strike. Production has been suspended. At the moment they are conducting negotiations with the company management. But it agrees to increase the wages only by 10-12 percent, which does not suit the strike participants.
"I personally would agree for the increase of salary by 20 percent," he confesses. "But most of the workers consider that the increase of salary should be more."