Picket of disabled miners

Maria Ilyinichna Burenkova (in the center) is sittitg in front of the entrance to the Ministry of Coal Industry, holding just taken off worn out shoe, which she replaced by cellophane bag, in the center of Kyiv (Friday, May 14, 1999). She arrived to Kyiv together with 130 miners-invalids and their wives from the Gagaryn mine (Gorlovka, Donetskaya Oblast) yesterday. M. Burenkova passed the night here and is not going to return back home, without husband's wage. Her husband was not able to come because of state of health (he is an industrial invalid). The only demand is the payment of pension debts for 12-14 months to miners-industrial invalids. The average pension makes up Hr.150 per month. According to Yury Podatko, the non-formal leader of pickets, they were told that the demands would not be satisfied. In such case the Ministry will be snowed under the analogous demands. Photo by Sergey Demidov/ UNIAN