KHUJAND, July 2, 2,008 Asia-Plus — Administration of open joint-stock company (OJSC), Adrasman Ore Refinery, has not yet solved the wage debts problem, the Sughd industrial workers’ trade unions chairman Said Usmonov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
He noted that according to unchecked data, the ore refinery has repaid its debts, totaling more than 40,000 somonis, only to the pension fund so far.
“On April 30 this year, we met with the ore refinery administration to discuss the subject and an agreement was reached that the plant will repay debts in May-June,” said Usmonov. “However, the situation has not yet changed.”
As it had been reported earlier, as of April 1, 2008, the Adrasman ore refinery’s wage debts have amounted to 326,259 somonis (TJS); besides the plant now owes 75,966 somonis to its employees for high-caloric diet debts. The recourse actions have amounted to 21,270 somonis.
Some 500 people have worked with the ore refinery since January 2007. The plant has not been in operation for the first two months of this year because of severe electricity shortages.
The Adrasman ore refinery in northern Tajikistan was purchased by Kazakhstan’s KazInvestMineral in July 2006 for 11 million somonis.
“The new chairman of the board of KazInvestMineral, Nurlan Kudaibergenov, is expected to arrive in Adrasman today to get acquainted with the state of affairs,” Usmonov said, noting that if the wage debts are not repaid in the near future, they will appeal to the Sughd economic court
The Adrasman ore refinery was established in 1967 and it is engaged in mining and processing of lead ore for producing led-silver concentrate. The plant’s capacity is more than 650,000 tons of ore a year.
