Napoleón Gómez awarded Arthur Svensson prize6 May, 2014Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, the heroic head of the Mexican mineworkers union, Los Mineros, won this year’s Arthur Svensson International Prize for trade union rights. The famous leader once again presided over his union’s congress last week remotely from exile in Canada.
IndustriALL Global Union embraces Africa’s Mining Vision 20509 May, 2014One of IndustriALL’s strategic goals is to influence governments and business on sustainable industrial policy. This was taken a step further when the global union was invited to participate at a two-day constituency building workshop on the African Mining Vision.
Warning strikes at BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto mine in Chile 25 September, 2014Workers at the Escondida mine and its port, Coloso, in Chile, went on strike at 8am on 22 September after members of Union Number 1 voted to stop work in response to the constant violations of Chilean law by the mine’s multinational owners, BHP Billiton and Río Tinto and the Chilean authorities’ failure to make the companies comply with the country’s legislation.
Indonesia: another fatality at the Grasberg mine29 January, 2015A mine worker was killed on 24 January at Rio Tinto's minority-owned mine in Papua, Indonesia. This brings the death toll at the mine over the last two years to a staggering 39.
2,000 Polish miners protest against plans to close mines15 January, 2015Approximately 2,000 coal miners in Silesia, southern Poland were joined by their families and local residents in underground protests on 8 January against government plans to close four mines in the region. The mines all belong to the state-owned Kompania Weglowa S.A., Europe’s largest coal producer.
Union takes legal action against anti-union SQM3 February, 2015The National Confederation of Metalworkers (CONSTRAMET) / Industriall Chile, has taken further legal action against SQM Industrial S.A. and SQM Nitratos S.A. for violating workers’ basic rights. In response, the company has taken reprisals against its employees and continues to employ anti-trade union practices.
Safety first? Another fatality at Rio Tinto4 February, 2015A worker was killed at Rio Tinto’s mining operations in Madagascar on 28 January, less than a week after a fatality at Rio Tinto’s minority-owned mine in Indonesia.
Suffering of Soma survivors continues19 February, 20152,800 Turkish miners who lost their jobs at Soma have been denied severance pay by the mine’s operator. It follows the deaths of 301 miners at the mine last year.
IndustriALL calls for justice on the ninth anniversary of the industrial homicide at Pasta de Conchos 19 February, 2015Nine years have gone by since tragedy struck at Pasta de Conchos. Sixty-five miners lost their lives after being trapped by an explosion at this Grupo Mexico mine. Sixty-three bodies were never recovered and are still in the mine.
First Quantum Minerals dismiss workers demanding healthcare access11 February, 2015Six members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ), have been fired on grounds of inciting and participating in an unprotected strike at a mine owned by First Quantum Minerals (FQM) after the company gave assurance that no workers would be dismissed for their role in the strike.
