League of Miners Unions of the Jiu Valley

Last updated
Union League
League of Miners' Unions of the Jiu Valley
Liga Sindicatelor Miniere din Valea Jiului
Location

The Miners Union League of the Jiu Valley (Romanian : Liga Sindicatelor Miniere din Valea Jiului) represents the miners of the Jiu Valley.

Contents

Membership

Union membership is voluntary, although it is widely accepted that all the miners are members of their respective mine's union. Union membership includes underground miners, individuals with jobs related to the mines, and retired miners. While there do not appear to be negative consequences to not joining the union, non-members are ineligible for benefits.

Members pay the Union approximately 1.5% of their monthly salaries (after income tax) in basic membership fees. However, members are also required to pay other fees for Union projects. These include sponsoring the Jiul Petroşani soccer team (which the Union supports because this team represents the Jiu Valley), as well as funds for the local miner's sports clubs (almost each mine has a soccer team, though Lupeni also has a rugby team, and Aninoasa also has an archery club and a kind of bowling team). [1]

Union Organization and Leadership

According to Romanian law, union representatives must be employees of the institutions/companies whose workers they represent. Once a member is elected as a union representative, he remains an employee of his respective mine. However, during his term of office in the union the union, not the mine company, pays his salary. The mine company is required by law to give union representatives unpaid leave until their elected term is over and must give them their job back when they return. The duration of a term for an elected union representative is generally 4 years. However, this may vary by individual mine union (e.g., the Paroșeni mine union's representatives are elected for 2 year terms).

Each mine has its own union organization, which is divided according to the mine's functional sectors (e. g., safety, production, transportation). Each sector elects their sector union representative. These sector representatives form the mine union council, but have no power representing the union, but each represent only their respective sector on the council. However, the overall mine union leadership and representatives (e.g., union president) are elected in a general vote of all union members in the mine regardless of sector. [1]

The representatives (presidents) of each mine union form the voting council of the Liga Sindicatelor (Union League). These representatives then nominate candidates and elect the executive leadership of the Union League, i.e., President and an Executive President (equivalent of a Vice President or Executive Director). The elected team will then choose its support staff.

Role of the Union

The Union League leadership claims to speak for all the miners of the Jiu Valley mines in most matters. As such they represent the miners in collective bargaining with the government and when calling for action by the miners (e.g., a strike). While their decisions are considered binding upon their members, there are examples of actions not supported by individuals or groups. This can be seen during the miner marches to Bucharest, where miners who did not agree with this action were not compelled to go. Those that remained did not appear to have suffered any negative consequences or retaliation or by the union, but continued to be members in good standing.

In exchange for their monthly fees and electing it to represent them, miners expect the union to do what it can to insure job security (e.g., prevent mine closures or downsizing), increase salaries, improve work conditions, and maintaining certain government perks conferred upon miners (e.g., reductions/discounts in home electric, hot water and other bills for miners and their families) during the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu.

The Union League’s role appears limited to the sponsorship and labor negotiating activities listed above (and individual member services such as contributing to funeral costs). The union at either the mine or league level does not appear to have played any role in any regional or local economic and community development. Despite the claims of some union representatives, union members in 2003 reported that the union does have any viable programs for worker training, unemployed workers (counseling, retraining, or placement), or community development (e.g., housing and environmental conditions). [1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Jiu Valley, Romania: The regional web portal --> Tourism". Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2007-03-10., History of Jiu Valley - Jiu Valley Portal, January 1. 2005

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uricani</span> Town in Hunedoara, Romania

Uricani is a town in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County, in southern Transylvania, Romania. As of 2021 it had a population of 6,669.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mineriad</span> 1990 Violent protests in Romania

The mineriads were a series of protests and often violent altercations by Jiu Valley miners in Bucharest during the 1990s, particularly 1990–91. The term "mineriad" is also used to refer to the most significant and violent of these encounters, which occurred June 13–15, 1990. During the 1990s, the Jiu Valley miners played a visible role in Romanian politics, and their protests reflected inter-political and societal struggles after the Romanian Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petroșani</span> Municipality in Hunedoara, Romania

Petroșani is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 31,044 (2021). The city has been associated with mining since the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupeni</span> Municipality in Hunedoara, Romania

Lupeni is a mining city in the Jiu Valley in Hunedoara County, Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. It is one of the oldest and largest cities in the Jiu Valley. It is located on the banks of the Western Jiu River within the Jiu Valley, at a height varying between 630 metres (2,070 ft) and 760 metres (2,490 ft). The distance from Lupeni to Petroșani is 18 kilometres (11 mi) on the DN66A road, and to Deva it is 114 km (71 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiu Valley</span> Romanian coal mining region

The Jiu Valley is a region in southwestern Transylvania, Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains. The region was heavily industrialised and the main activity was coal mining, but due to low efficiency, most of the mines were closed down in the years following the collapse of Communism in Romania. For a long time the place was called Romania's biggest coalfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miron Cozma</span> Criminal

Miron Cozma is a former Romanian labor-union organizer and politician, and leader of Romania's Jiu Valley coal miners' union. He is best known for his leading the miners of the Jiu Valley during the September 1991 Mineriad which overthrew the reformist Petre Roman government. Cozma was a controversial character in the 1990s, both within and outside of Jiu Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CSM Jiul Petroșani</span> Association football club in Romania

Clubul Sportiv Municipal Jiul Petroșani, commonly known as Jiul Petroșani, simply as Jiul, is a professional football club based in Petroșani, Hunedoara County, founded in 1919 under the name of CAM Petroșani. Jiul Petroșani is one of the oldest active clubs in Romania. Founded before teams such as Steaua București, Dinamo București or Rapid București, Jiul, at its best, was ranked 2nd (1924–25) in the top-flight. For most of its existence, Jiul has been a constant presence in the first two tiers of the Romanian football league system, making it a traditional club in the country. In 1990, the closure of the Jiu Valley mines, the main engine of the local economy, led to the decay of Jiul, annually putting the team in danger of bankruptcy.

The June 1990 Mineriad was the suppression of anti-National Salvation Front (FSN) rioting in Bucharest, Romania by the physical intervention of groups of industrial workers as well as coal miners from the Jiu Valley, brought to Bucharest by the government to counter the rising violence of the protesters. This event occurred several weeks after the FSN achieved a landslide victory in the May 1990 general election, the first elections after the fall of the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. Many of the miners, factory workers, and other anti-protester groups, fought with the protesters and bystanders. The violence resulted in some deaths and many injuries on both sides of the confrontations. Official figures listed seven fatalities and hundreds of injured, although media estimates of the number killed and injured varied widely and were often much higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupeni strike of 1929</span>

The Lupeni strike of 1929 took place on 5 and 6 August 1929 in the mining town of Lupeni, in the Jiu Valley of Transylvania, Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977</span>

The Jiu Valley miners' strike of 1977 was the largest protest movement against the Communist regime in Romania before its final days. It took place 1–3 August 1977 and was centered in the coal mining town of Lupeni, in Transylvania's Jiu Valley.

Lonea Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Petrila, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Lonea mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 22.7 million tonnes of coal.

Uricani Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Uricani, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Uricani mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 39.3 million tonnes of coal. After several fatal accidents and Romania's obligation regarding the reduction of the arrears of the CNH, the mine has been in the process of shutting down its operation since 2009.

Paroșeni Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Vulcan, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Paroșeni mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 23.7 million tonnes of coal.

Livezeni Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Petroşani, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Livezeni mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 22.6 million tonnes of coal.

Petrila Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Petrila, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Petrila mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 16.5 million tonnes of coal.

Vulcan Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Vulcan, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Vulcan mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 23.5 million tonnes of coal.

Bărbăteni Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Lupeni, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Bărbăteni mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 27.9 million tonnes of coal.

Țebea Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Baia de Criş, one of six cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Țebea mine is the National Hard Coal Company, which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 14.7 million tonnes of coal.

September 1991 Mineriad was a political action and physical confrontation between the miners of the Jiu Valley and the Romanian authorities, that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Petre Roman's government. Led by Miron Cozma, president of the Jiu Valley Coal Miners Union, the miners engaged in a series of actions beginning in the 1990s referred to as "mineriads" whereby large numbers of miners traveled to the Romanian capital of Bucharest and engaged in demonstrations and sometimes violent confrontations against counter-demonstrators and government authorities.

This is a list of 1999 events that occurred in Romania.