Hundreds of miners gathered on Tuesday in Sarajevo in front of the facilities of the state-owned Elektroprivreda BiH company, the largest electric power utility enterprise in the country, demanding the payment of overdue salaries. The miners represented six largest mines within Elektroprivreda BiH concern.

N1 learned that the company management left the building prior to the protest. The information has not been officially confirmed.

As they walked the central streets of Sarajevo, the miners were cheered by the citizens.

They arrived in front of the Elektroprivreda BiH building shouting “thieves, thieves….”

Speaking to N1, one of the miners, Nedim Kadric, said his message for the officials in the Federation entity, part of the country where these mines operate, is to appoint adequate management to run Elektroprivreda BiH company.

He stressed that the miners are willing to work but that they have no conditions for that.

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Senad Sejdic, a representative of the Kreka mine union told N1 that authorities should tell them so if they do not plan to invest in mines or to keep the miners.

“What matters the most is that the miners from all six mines are present here,” he said.

Sejdic also mentioned bad working conditions, recalling that the last collective agreement guaranteed a decent level of material rights for the miners.

He also warned that energy sector cannot survive without coal.

“If you do not treat us in a human way and let us end this career, we are prepared for anything,” he stressed, adding that their work cannot remain unpaid.

According to him, the miners only want to work in a fair and decent way.

“If they no longer want mines, then they should tell so,” he underlined

Miners left the site of the protest without having met any representative of Elektroprivreda BiH company.