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Cerrejón workers affiliated with Sintracarbón, which has been on strike since August 31, affirm that this will be lifted, when the company respects the benefits that have already been achieved, I know of the progressivity of some points and what they have called the “turn of death” does not apply.
In dialogue with EL HERALDO, the president of the trade union Igor Díaz stated that a firm position from the Ministry of Labor is needed to seat the parties. “So far this has not been possible after two attempts to apply the roadmap already accepted by Sintracarbón,” he said.
Say what Sintracarbón has ratified its willingness to go where necessary to facilitate dialogue, “However, the company has started by setting some immovable, such as negotiating in virtuality, contrary to the proposals of our organization and the Ministry of Labor.”
Diaz explains that it was the company that brought the issue of the new shift to the negotiation process by presenting it on the second day of the direct negotiation stage.
“The name as” turn of death “has been made after know the concepts of doctors and experts in occupational diseases who have indicated that the working hours of people exposed to coal dust should be less than the current one, 48 hours, “he explained.
He adds that with this turn, Cerrejón makes the work day go from 48 to 84 hours a week. “To that, add that the company has been reluctant to recognize chronic and disabling diseases, with the potential to unleash carcinogenic diseases, caused by work in the mine. Today there are a thousand workers affected by diseases associated with their job performance, who do not enjoy the recognition they deserve ”, he specified.
The union leader adds that the company has filed a complaint with the collective agreement, which is not in the framework of the legislation on labor conflict, which is intended to be negotiated at the table. “In this complaint it intends to modify benefits on the transport of workers, benefits to pensioners, aid for the families of deceased workers, eliminate an article on incentives for efficiency and productivity, reduce premiums and freeze the conventional economic benefits that historically they have been indexed to the CPI ”, he noted.
Regarding the situation of international coal prices and the pandemic, issues that have affected Cerrejón, affirmed that problems like these have been present at many moments in the history of the multinational and that it has managed to overcome “thanks to the immense effort of the workers and today there are symptoms of a reactivation of coal prices of which Cerrejón is not informing public opinion ”.
In the interview, Igor Díaz affirms that Sintracarbón, the workers and Cerrejón have overcome difficult market situations and that “having solidarity with La Guajira, with Colombia, the owner of coal, with the workers, is not imposing a work shift that affects the life, health and social fabric of workers and their families; that, in addition to destroying thousands of jobs in such a difficult time for Guajira society ”.
Add that The coal company is ignoring that the collective labor dispute is caused by the list of requests. “In addition, it lacks legal and administrative arguments to eliminate, reduce and freeze benefits. Why do you persist in maintaining an irrational position on the 23rd of the strike and precipitate a greater crisis in La Guajira? ”, She expressed in the interview.
Finally he said that in solidarity with the La Guajira community, Sintracarbón demands compliance with the ruling of the Constitutional Court, that orders the constitution of a work table to evaluate the points of view of communities, government authorities, experts on environmental issues, the company on the issue of the diversion of the Bruno stream.
According to the union, that table must recognize the effects of river diversion and mining activity, to define actions to reduce the negative impacts of the diversion of the Bruno stream, the impacts of mining on the environment and health, as well as address the problem of food safety.
“As a responsible company, we demand clear answers from Cerrejón for the community. We do it as an organization built by guajiros for whom our land hurts, ”said Díaz.
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