Miners in Colombia ask for support

COLOMBIA: As negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and the trade union at the Cerro Matoso nickel mine in Colombia remain unsettled, a members' assembly will decide on whether to strike or go to arbitration. The current negotiations concern an agreement on how to improve the standards of living of the company's workers, including health, education, salaries and housing. The SINTRACERROMATOSO trade union now asks for "moral support" from trade unions at both national and international levels. Trade unionists who want to show solidarity with the Cerro Matoso workers can write to:

• the President of Cerro Matoso, Mr. Bert Nacken, fax no. +57 4 7723612
• the company's negotiating commission, fax no. +57 4 7722391

The trade union's negotiating commission can be reached by fax on +57 4 7722210 and by e-mail [email protected]. (For all numbers above: If you are situated in Colombia, omit 57, and dial 094 instead of an isolated 4.) Cerro Matoso, located in northern Colombia in the province of Córdoba, is - according to BHP Billiton - one of the world's lowest-cost, major nickel producers.