The workers had set a deadline of March 6 for the state nuclear company, Energoatom, to pay wage arrears. A new deadline of March 22 has been set. The crisis in the nuclear sector in the Ukraine, the location of the world's worst nuclear power disaster in 1986, poses serious safety concerns. Workers have warned that the non-payment of wages threatens the safety of millions of people. In the case of nuclear workers, it also poses a threat to the wider national and global community.
Workers are a key factor in nuclear safety.
They have to remain fully alert throughout their shifts. The strike lasted for five weeks, disrupting many domestic flights and grounding one in five international flights. The strike involved 250 air traffic controllers who demanded a pay increase of more than 20 percent. Management originally said they would not grant pay rises of any more than 11 percent. On March 8, the Air Traffic Controllers Union and the Civil Aviation Authority agreed to a four-year wage agreement, with a pay increase of 13 percent during the first three years.