24 October, 2011
A subsidiary of the Swiss-based trading house Glencore International is refusing to consider modest improvements for its employees in the municipality of La Jagua de Ibirico, Cesar Province in Northern Colombia. CI Prodeco is Colombia’s third largest coal producer and disgracefully only 4.91% of the company’s expenditures is used for labour costs.
Workers at Prodeco, organised under the municipality branch of ICEM coal-mining affiliate Sintracarbón, presented management with a list of just demands on 21 September. The company negotiators initiated the direct settlement stage of bargaining on 3 October in the city of Barranquilla. Under Colombian law, the direct settlement stage of bargaining lasts two weeks but despite this, management has refused to bargain in good faith and shows no willingness to reach a collective agreement with workers, thus provoking strike action.
Instead of seeking a collective agreement, management announced its intention to renew a unilateral work rules document for a five-year period. The proposed document includes worker conditions below the legal minimum standards.
Prodeco has run a sophisticated propaganda campaign attempting to convince workers that a collective agreement as proposed by the union would not be legal, and that workers stand to lose all benefits previously achieved through bargaining. They then offered the unilateral work rules document. The company campaign is clearly aimed at turning workers against the union and the bargaining process, in blatant breach of international labour standards that have been ratified by Colombia.
The union is standing firm on its demands regarding labour-management relations, safety, occupational health, and on wages, benefits, promotions, education, housing, health, job stability, and use of external contractors.
As pressure from supervisors increases, the ICEM stands in full support of Sintracarbón members at Prodeco as they seek settlement for a collective agreement, or if they are forced to strike in the coming days.
ICEM affiliates and supporters are urged to write to the company management: Gary Nagle, Prodeco President; Miguel Montoya, human resources manager; and negotiators Charles Emeritus and Olga Lucia.