News

Minatom employees demonstrated in Moscow

Publish date: April 15, 1997

Written by: Igor Kudrik

At 10:30 yesterday some 600 employees of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia demonstrated in front of the Government headquarters in Moscow, demanding a stabilisation of state funding and that current state debts are covered.

During the last few months state debts to the nuclear power plants, and to plants formerly involved with nuclear weaponry, have exceeded 600 million USD. At the same time, the vast former nuclear weaponry complex is struggling under budget reductions and the difficult transformation into civilian production – a process which has not been a great success.

Representatives of the nuclear complex employees have made several attempts at meeting with the head of the Russian Government Victor Chernomyrdin and his deputy Anatoly Chubais, but their requests have been declined.

Apparently, there is a new strike brewing among the employees of the nuclear power plants and at a number of the Siberian nuclear plants.