Mittal Steel miners demand safety in Kazakhstan

Hundreds of striking coal miners from all Kazakh coal mines owned by Mittal Steel gathered yesterday in Kazakhstan's industrial heartland – Karaganda - demanding better wages and improvement of working conditions after a methane explosion at the Lenin mine killed 41 miners last Wednesday. Upon his arrival in the country, Mittal Steel CEO Mr. Lakshmi Mittal said that for 10 years the company had invested $240 million in technical improvements at its mines in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, striking miners protested that the conditions in the mines in Karaganda were terrible. The strike started yesterday morning at the Lenin mine. During talks, Mittal Steel Temirtau management convinced the miners to continue work in a safe sector, promising a commission that would address their grievances.