Spontaneous protest at Vulcan Mine / Employees are dissatisfied with the salary differences found after moving to the new workplace

Dozens of miners transferred from Lupeni Mine to Vulcan Mine launched a spontaneous protest on Tuesday morning, October 20, refusing to come out of the underground at the end of the night shift. The employees are dissatisfied with the pay differences identified after moving to their new workplace and receiving their first pay slips.

The miners were expected to return to the surface around 6:00 a.m., but decided to remain underground. The protest also disrupted the morning shift, as some of the employees who were due to start work at the same time did not reach their posts.

According to information published by Gazeta de Dimineață, the approximately 50 employees transferred from Lupeni were placed on Vulcan Mine’s pay scale. For comparable positions, salaries are reportedly different from those they previously received, with variations of several dozen lei. Dissatisfaction emerged after the transfer documents were signed approximately one month ago and the first pay documents were received.

The transfers were carried out in the context of the closure of Lupeni Mine, so that the employees could continue working until they met the retirement requirements. Miners in the Jiu Valley also protested in August 2026, when they complained about the way transportation costs were reimbursed after being moved between mining operations. So far, no solution has been announced for the employees’ demands.