Colombia Solidarity Campaign
- Fighting for Peace with Justice -
| ATTACK ON LABOUR RIGHTS BY CONTRACTING AGENCY IN CERREJ?N |
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| Areas of Work - Mining |
| Friday, 10 July 2009 14:21 |
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The National Union of the Coal Industry, SINTRACARBON, brings to local, national and international attention the attack by the contracting firm, SOTRANS, on the labour rights of its workers simply because they have had the audicity to unionize as a means of gaining certain fundamental rights enshrined in ILO strategic objectives, including the right of free association, freedom to unionize and the right to collective bargaining as outlined in ILO agreements 87 and 98, ratified by Colombia.
_html_336e2ad8.gif "bhp fj stmt (1)_html_336e2ad8.gif") SINTRACARBON emphatically repudiates SOTRAN’s disregard and violation of
the right of association and freedom to unionize of outsourced workers and its
attempt to eliminate the newly created organization SINTRANS through material
suppression. Basing its arguments on the fact that these workers are employed on
fixed term, six-month contracts, the company canceled the employment contracts
of VICENTE POMARICO and JORGE DIAZ, ignoring their positions as founders and
leaders.
Continuing the same strategy of persecution and harassment, the company
has given notice of contract cancellations to thirty-three (33) union members,
making evident its intention to disregard and violate the right of association.
Complicit in these actions are the CERREJÓN company and the Ministry for
Social Protection which watch and do nothing. Such is their response to the
numerous petitions filed on Tuesday, July 7th of this year by SINTRANS on behalf
of these workers.
SINTRACARBON condemns and repudiates the coercion, harassment and
persecution to which these workers are subjected by SOTRANS, a blood sucking
company that treats its workers like slaves, and which we declare to be an enemy
of the working class.
Having been involved in the process of unionization of outsourced Cerrejón
workers, we are not third parties nor outsiders, and SINTRACARBON, as an
autonomous entity, reaffirms its historic responsibility, deep commitment and
political will to uphold the fundamental rights of outsourced workers in
Cerrejon, where, before long, there should not be a single worker who does not
benefit from the right of association and collective bargaining. This decision
we will hold firm regardless of the consequences.
Finally, we condemn item number 4 of Circular No 009 of July 6, 2009 of the joint venture company, SOTRANS, for giving itself legal powers it does not have. It is not companies that grant status or recognition to unions, nor is it the Ministry of Social Protection. We reprint the following to demonstrate how the company disregards and violates the right of free association.
"SOTRANS joint venture will use resources under the Act, to challenge the
constitution and registration of the union, as it did not meet the requirements
established in labour regulations. "
NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SINTRACARBON |
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London Mining Network
The London Mining Network (LMN) is an alliance of human rights, development and environmental groups. We pledge to expose the role of companies, funders and government in the promotion of unacceptable mining projects.
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Colombia Solidarity Campaign is affiliated to the European Network of Friendship and Solidarity with Colombia, which has eleven affiliates in Spain and ten from other countries.