IndustriALL heralds new IRMA head4 April, 2013IndustriALL Global Union is pleased to welcome Matthew Wenban-Smith as new Managing Director of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA). The appointment marks an important milestone in establishing IRMA as the first legitimate global certification programme in the mining sector.
Thousands of miners rally in the US4 April, 2013The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) rallied against Patriot Coal on 1 April for miner pensions and benefits in Charleston, mobilizing 10,000 activists onto the street.
Anglo American workers disappear in Brazil2 April, 2013The deadly accident occurred around midnight on Wednesday 27 March and involved a floating quay on the River Amazon that the company uses to load iron ore from the nearby Santana mine.
Retrenchment deal softens the blow at Rio Tinto Rossing 21 March, 2013The Mineworkers Union of Namibia has negotiated favourable retrenchment packages for 276 workers at Rio Tinto’s Rossing Mine. The mine has been experiencing losses for some time affected by lower demand and prices for uranium.
Chilean copper workers announce national strike 20 March, 2013The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC), affiliated to IndustriALL, has called a national strike at state-owned CODELCO in support of demands for job security, dignified pensions and renationalization of the copper mines.
South African state utility hit hard by strikes 14 March, 2013Strikes at the construction site of its new power station Medupi and at coal operations of Exxaro Resources add to power company Eskom’s woes to address power supply challenges.
Agreement at Cerrejón Colombia11 March, 2013Workers at Carbones del Cerrejón Limited in La Guajira have ended the strike that began on 9 February after their union signed a new collective agreement that provides improved working conditions.
Zambian government seizes Collum Mine over poor working conditions28 February, 2013The Zambian government has emphasized that the take over is not nationalism, but due to non compliance with labour laws, safety and environmental standards and non payment of royalties at the previously state-owned coal mine.
Attack at Cerrejón coal mine27 February, 2013The Oreganal pit at the Colombian Cerrejón coal mine was targeted in a terrorist attack at two o'clock in the morning of Sunday 24 February, damaging several lorries owned by Carbones del Cerrejón Limited, and causing millions of pesos worth of damage.
Indian contract workers join mining unions22 February, 2013On 20-21February, Indian trade union members joined a massive general strike calling, among other demands, for an end to contracting out of permanent work. One of the participating unions, the Indian National Mineworkers’ Federation (INMF) has been developing a specific and systematic organizing campaign for workers in precarious employment. Since 2002, INMF has already organized 66,869 precarious workers.
