Miners granted early retirement

The government approved an early retirement program for workers in the Czech Republic's most dangerous industry Sept. 5, giving small relief to the thousands of laborers who have spent their lives scraping coal and uranium from underground mines.

Miners who had worked in coal mines for 15 years or uranium mines for 10 years by 2008 will be able to retire at the age of 57, five years earlier than the national average, as of June 2010. The early retirement program, which will cost up to 70 million Kč ($4 million) in the first year alone, will affect about 5,000 miners throughout the country over the next 20 years.

The retirement age in the Czech Republic - currently at 62 - has been steadily rising since 1995 and is expected to hit 65 by 2030. Miners' unions have protested against such age increases, saying most miners won't live to see retirement age because of the occupational hazards and the associated health risks, said František Nekola, vice chairman of the Czech miners' union federation (OSPHGN).

"Mining is the most dangerous job in the world, and the conditions are tough," he said. "Our workers have incredibly demanding conditions: hard labor in temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, high humidity and dustiness, and illnesses like silicosis."

Silicosis is an irreversible lung disease common in miners and caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, the second-most common mineral on the surface of the earth. It can cause scarring and lesions in the lungs.

The union and mining companies throughout the country have applauded the government's decision. Zuzana Kolaříková - deputy spokeswoman for OKD, a mining company based in Ostrava that employs 13,968 miners, 301 of whom will now retire early - said the company welcomes the government's decision, and dispelled the suggestion that early retirement may cut the work force.

"The personnel department of OKD counted on this eventuality because it's been discussed for a long time, and, therefore, the earlier departures will not affect the operation of the company," she said.

The reduction in retirement age for miners came as a result of multiple protests by mining unions, which forced cooperation between unions and the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. Štěpánka Filipová, a ministry spokeswoman, admitted that some politicians expressed doubt about the wisdom of taking on extra debt in a recession year, but, in the end, the government decided to dig deep into the state's budget to support the miners.

"In 2010, state budget expenditures will be higher by up to 70 million Kč and could reach 380 million Kč per year in 2025, but then they will come down," she said. "There was discussion in the government, but the regulation was approved."

There are currently about 20,000 miners working in uranium and coal mines in the Czech Republic. An average of seven miners die in mine accidents each year, a number that does not take into effect health-related deaths, Nekola said. Miners who are forced into retirement due to injury or health problems receive 10 monthly salaries - at an average of 35,000 Kč each - and are then covered by insurance, which takes a significant toll on state coffers, he added, making early retirement an economically sensible option.

"The most common diseases among miners are cancer and silicosis, not to mention serious industrial injuries," he said. "Security in mines has improved, but nobody can predict or prevent earthquakes."

OKD recently implemented a program to update miners' safety equipment, Kolaříková said, leading to a 20 percent decrease in injuries in the first half of 2009. It is hoped that cutting down on hazards in the mines will bring Czech mines to European standards and cut back on the approximately 4.5 million Kč the company pays annually for health care for injured miners, she said.

The mining industry in the Czech Republic is one of the oldest in Europe, stretching back to the 15th century. Large-scale coal-mining operations began in earnest in the 19th century, concentrated in northeast Moravia, which has continued to be the center of the industry. The mid-20th century saw the largest boom in Czech mining, which established most of the mining practices in use today. Experts believe existing mineable coal reserves in the country will be exhausted by 2030. Nonetheless, coal accounts for 90 percent of energy sources in the Czech Republic, making mining a necessary, if dangerous, industry.

- Petr Cibulka Jr. and Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com