The 1989 coal miners' strikes were the first open mass protest in the Soviet Union. The first strike began in spring 1989 at the Severnaya mine in the northern city of Vorkuta and later devolved to a hunger strike. Miners at Vorgashorskaya (now - JV Vorkutaugol Vorgashorskaya mine) worked out demands to be presented to the government commission that arrived in Vorkuta. Vorkuta mine Halmer-Yu (this mine's feasibility was questioned as the new Russia transitioned to a market economy; in 1993, the Khalmer-Yu mine and the miners' village were closed).
- Categories: Labour, Environmental Issues, Social Issues, Economy, Business & Finance
- Location: Vorkuta, Republic of Komi, Russia
- Event date: 15.11.1989
- Date published: 01.03.2022
- Author: Alexandr Schemlyaev
- Credit: Sputnik
- Original: 89-11726, 35 mm film
- Media: JPEG, 5326x3543px, 11.8Mb