1990s Donbas miners' strikes

1990s Donbas miner strikes
Part of the 1989–1991 Ukrainian revolution (until 1991)
Miners protesting near the Ministry of Coal Industry building (Donetsk, 1990)
Date	15 July 1989 – 19 June 1993 (1989-07-15 – 1993-06-19) 1 February 1996 – 1997 May–17 June 1998
Location	Ukraine[a] (Mainly Donbas)
Caused by	1989–1993: Communist Party committees within businesses (until 1991) Low wages Era of Stagnation High food prices Distrust of trade unions in the Soviet Union 1996–1997, 1998: Low wages Non-payment of wages End of coal industry subsidies
Goals	1989–1991: Resignation of Volodymyr Shcherbytsky and Valentyna Shevchenko End of one-party rule Raising of wages Economic independence of the Ukrainian SSR from the Soviet Union Adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine End of Communist Party committees within businesses Resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev, Volodymyr Shcherbytsky, and Valentyna Shevchenko (politician) Trade union independence Direct elections 1991–1993, 1996–1997, 1998: Paying of wages Raising of wages
Methods	Strike action, political demonstration, sit-in
Concessions	1989–1991: Resignation of Volodymyr Shcherbytsky as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine Economic independence of the Ukrainian SSR from the Soviet Union Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine adopted End of Communist Party committees within businesses 1991–1993: 1994 parliamentary and presidential elections held early Resignation of the Krasnodon municipal government 1996–1997, 1998: Payment of wages
Parties
Miners Independent Trade Union of Ukrainian Miners Supported by: People's Movement of Ukraine  Soviet Union (until 1991) Government of Ukraine  Donetsk Oblast  Luhansk Oblast Berkut
Lead figures
Volodymyr Biletskyy Mykola Volynko [uk] Mykhailo Volynets [uk] Volodymyr Shcherbytsky Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Kuchma  Donetsk Oblast: Viktor Kurchenko Yuriy Smyrnov [uk] Viktor Yanukovych  Luhansk Oblast: Anatoliy Kasianov [uk] Eduard Khananov [uk] Hennadiy Fomenko [uk] Oleksandr Yefremov Viktor Tikhonov
Number
500,000–1.5 million (1993) 800,000 (1996)
Casualties and losses
1 dead (suicide) 22 injured 15 injured

This article is part of a series about Leonid Kuchma
Political positions [uk] Family and personal life PA Pivdenmash Ukrainian oligarchs Dnipropetrovsk Mafia 2nd Prime Minister of Ukraine (government) Privatisation [uk] Decrees [uk] 1990s Donbas miners' strikes 2nd President of Ukraine Presidency [uk] Inaugurations [uk] Multi-Vector Policy First term (1994–1999) Constitution Denuclearisation Budapest Memorandum United States v. Lazarenko Monetary reform (1996) Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty Second term (1999–2004) Constitutional referendum (2000) Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 (2001) Tuzla Island conflict (2003) Iraq War European Union integration NATO integration Post-presidency Minsk agreements Controversies and protests Funeral of Patriarch Volodymyr Assassination of Yevhen Shcherban Death of Viacheslav Chornovil Murder of Georgiy Gongadze Cassette Scandal Ukraine without Kuchma Rise up, Ukraine! Orange Revolution Governments Masol II Marchuk Lazarenko Pustovoitenko Yushchenko Kinakh Yanukovych I Elections 1990 1994 parliamentary presidential 1998 1999 2002 Media gallery
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Strikes by coal miners in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine occurred throughout most of the 1990s. Beginning in 1989, coal miners went on strike against poor pay amidst poor economic conditions. Originally part of the 1989 Soviet miners' strikes [ru], the demands of miners in the Donbas also reflected sentiments in favour of Ukrainian nationalism, and they were supported publicly by pro-independence groups such as the People's Movement of Ukraine.
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