21 May 2004 21:46
Protesters block traffic on Siberian river
IRKUTSK. May 21 (Interfax-Siberia) - Protestors in the Irkutsk region city of Kirensk are demanding that wage arrears
for March and April be paid and have blocked traffic along the Lena river in two places, Interfax was told at the
district administration.
The staff of the Kirensk and Alexeyevskoye repair facilities of the local shipping lines blocked the river on
Thursday. The staff of the Kirensk repair facility is also calling for the dismissal of the facility's director
Alexander Artamonov.
As of Friday morning, the protestors from the joint Lena shipping lines had halted river traffic to Ust-Kut and
forced nine tankers to anchor, Interfax was told.
Artamonov told Interfax on Friday that talks with the protesters are being held and wage arrears for March have been
paid. "Now the debt of 6.5 million rubles for April remains to be paid," he said.
He said that deputy chief of the Irkutsk region administration Yevgeny Korolyov and representatives of the regional
prosecutor's office flew to Kirensk on Friday for a conflict settlement conference.
The shipping lines are expected to pay the rest of the arrears to the staff in Kirensk within a week, Interfax was
told at the regional administration. [RU EUROPE EEU EMRG ASIA JOB] ml tj <>
[Interfax] |
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