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13 November, 2006
The National Federation of Mining, Metallurgy, and Steel Workers UNION (FNTMMSP) of Peru will hold a national session of all its affiliates in Lima on 22-23 November in order to formulate plans for a national strike.
The ICEM affiliate said its discontent is aimed not at mining companies, but rather at the government. A bill now before Peru’s Congress aims to change the way profit-sharing plans are regulated. The union also seeks to get the government to regulate and enforce the manner in which contract workers are employed.
“Our problem is a political problem,” said FNTMMSP General Secretary Carlos Luis Castillo in a published Reuters report. “On November 22 and 23, we will have a national session with delegates from all the country’s unions, and we’ll define the start date for the strike.
Castillo added that in an era of high demand and high prices for base metals, “we show that we aren’t passive about things that are happening either because of government inaction or because of laws before Congress.”
Mining companies operating in Peru have seen huge profits coming from high global pricing of metals. FNTMMSP has consistently backed the needs of people living in mining areas by seeking more social investment and environmental safeguards for these areas.
Peru’s is the world’s third largest producer of copper and zinc, and ranks fifth in global output of gold.