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colombia: corriente de corona

Pals, brotherly greeting. Here is a general explanation from mining union organizations in Northern Colombia: To date, more than 3,000 mining outsourcing workers have been illegally suspended from their employment contracts. Companies are transferring the cost of the health crisis to workers and their families!WE DON'T PAY FOR YOUR CRISIS, WE REQUIRE RESPONSIBILITY AND SOLIDARITY FROM THE MINING COMPANIES!

The health emergency caused by the COVID virus19 has unleashed a health, humanitarian and social crisis on a global scale, which has already affected more than 740,000 people and caused 35,000 deaths worldwide. The facts are showing that the public health systems all over the world are at the service of the market and business and not at the service of the people. For the big companies and for the imperialist and neoliberal governments, the death of millions of people is not a problem, what really worries them is the economic crisis and that is why in the midst of the health emergency, they have been more concerned about helping the financial system, as confirmed by decrees 417, 418, 444, 457 and 488 issued by the national government since the beginning of the health emergency. Worse than the COVID-19, will be the social and economic crisis that is being caused by the multinationals DRUMMOND, PRODECO, CERREJON, their job boards and temporary service companies and contractors that illegally outsource missionary activities and make working conditions precarious, all under the auspices of the national government. During the first days of the health emergency, the multinational mining companies tried to maintain the normal operation of the mines, without paying attention to the recommendations of the health authorities who pointed out the need for social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus, exposing the health of more than 30,000 workers and their families. Since March 22, in the face of declining international coal sales and pressure from the communities, these same companies decided to stop production, and have unleashed a systematic violation of the labor rights of thousands of workers throughout the region.
1. Collective vacations and anticipated vacations, using force majeure and without consensus with the workers, contrary to those established in article 187 of the substantive labor code, require notification of this measure at least 15 days in advance, companies such as DIMANTEC, RELIANZ, MAXO, COMPASS GROUP, EPROQ MECANICA, TRASNCOLBA, ASECOLBA... (All these companies violated the law, since they notified the vacations before the decree 488 of 2020 was promulgated).2 Suspension and Termination of contracts, arguing reasons of FORCE MAJEURE. The declarations of force majeure made by the companies MANPOWER, MAXO, CHMINERIA, SERO, JC SOLUCIONES, EPROQMECANICA and COMPASS GROUP are contrary to labour legislation and circular 021 of the Ministry of Labour, as the declaration of force majeure can only be determined through a judicial process.3. Several companies are pressuring workers to sign "Agreements between the Parties" to justify vacations, salary reductions, contract suspensions, or even proposing that workers sign voluntary resignation letters promising to rehire them when the emergency ends.5 It is very possible that the emergency will extend for more than 60 days and in that case workers who have been "forced" to take their vacation periods will be notified of suspensions and/or contract terminations or in the best of cases will be "indebted" to the companies.

The multimillionaire wealth accumulated by the companies in the mining sector, and especially the multinationals DRUMMOND, PRODECO and CERREJON, has been made possible only by the systematic exploitation of the labor of thousands of workers in this region. Therefore, the least that could be expected of these companies is that they comply with the social responsibility that they proclaim so much, and that they assure all workers their income. In addition to this, the national government, using its extraordinary powers in the midst of the COVID-19 emergency, is acting in defense of these large companies and the financial sector. In the midst of the health emergency, the Duke government has issued decrees 417, 418, 444, 457 and 488 of 2020, declaring the health emergency and adopting a series of political, economic and public order measures that systematically favor large companies, appropriating the resources of territorial entities, workers and pensioners and condemning millions of formal and informal workers to misery or illness. For all this situation we denounce before the national and international public opinion the ANTIOBRERO, ANTISOLIDARY and lacking of any humanitarian sense behaviour by the companies DRUMMONDLTD, PRODECO, CERREJON, and their CONTRACTORS: DIMANTEC, RELIANZ, COMPASSGROUP, EPROQ MECANICA, MAXO, MANPOWER, CHMMINERIA,SERO, JC SOLUCIONES,ANTUR, ASECOLOBA and TRANSCOLBA with whom they outsource missionary activities, all of these companies are transferring the costs of this emergency to the workers and their families, in spite of the fact that for several decades they have made millions of dollars in profits thanks to the exploitation of natural resources and labor in this region. We demand that the multinational mining companies be socially responsible to their workers and their families! We demand that the companies that outsource mining complexes be socially responsible to their workers and their families! No to the suspension and termination of contracts! Immediate application of Article 140 for all workers in the mining sector while the health emergency lasts! In the face of the indolence of the dominant classes, the solidarity and struggle of the people is necessary! Let the people not pay for the crisis.