"Electrozink" states layoff of over 200 workers at closing hazardous facility

The authorities have agreed with the owners of the "Electrozink" Factory in Vladikavkaz to close the environmentally harmful production facility, said Vyacheslav Bitarov, the acting head of the republic. The production of lead will be stopped this summer.

According to Evgeny Bragin, Deputy Director General of the Holding named the "Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC)", which owns the "Electrozink", over 200 workers will be fired at closing the lead production facility.

Let us remind you that the capital of North Ossetia hosts regular protest actions against the operation of the "Electrozink" Factory. Protesters, activists and ecologists claim that the factory emissions pollute the atmosphere of Vladikavkaz, while the city authorities and the factory bosses fail to take measures to address the problem.

The website "Change.org" continues collecting signatures to the online petition demanding to close the factory.

"Ossetia is the leader in cancer incidence and mortality due to disastrous sanitary and epidemiological situation and the failure to provide the sanitary protection zone against the emissions of the 'Electrozink' Factory... We demand to immediately close the 'Electrozink', otherwise in ten years the republic will have not a single healthy person," states the petition addressed to the head of the region.

As of 4:00 a.m. Moscow time today, the petition was signed by 3512 people.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.