To all contacts of the International Miners' Coordination Information letter number 6

Date: 20 July 2015

the 3rd meeting of the "International Coordinating Group" (ICG) took place from 23 to 25 April 2015. We would like to inform you on the most important results. The preparation of the 2nd International Miners' Conference in India 2017 was in the center of attention. We are now starting the immediate preparation on the basis of the decisions of the 1st International Miners' Conference. The huge mutual trust and a great unification on important decisions to prepare the 2nd International Miners' Conference was striking. The meeting expressed the huge progress and a positive development of the International Miners' Coordination since the 1st International Miners' Conference.

The ICG Members from India, Columbia, Congo, Peru and Germany attended. We were especially happy that the participation of our colleague from the Democratic Republic of Congo was enabled by a broad protest, who first was denied the visa from the Belgium embassy in Kinshasa. Only after massive protests, he was allowed to enter the "Schengen-states". The representative from Kazachstan, who unfortunately could not participate in the meeting, was called via skype afterwards and all results of the meeting were discussed. He s going to try everything to participate in the next meeting of the ICG in India at the end of January 2016.

Several miners trade unions in India have in the meantime agreed on taking on the responsibility as hosts of the 2nd IMC 2017 together, further trade unions are supposed to be won as supporters.

The following decisions were made on the 3rd meeting of the ICG:

  • The 2nd International Miners Conference will take place in India in February 2017
  • The passing of a program of the miners will be in the center of attention of the 2nd IMC. It is supposed to be the basis for the consultation and coordination of demands, forms and steps of struggle. The ICG discussed a first proposal for the draft program, which will be passed beforethe 4th ICG meeting in 2016. This draft program shall then be discussed on a broad scale at the rank-and-file of the miners until the 2nd International Miners' Conference and passed there with further proposals. This broad discussion shall at the same time unfold a worldwide strategy debate amongst the miners and their families on the future way of unification and coordination of the miners and the population in the mining regions. In doing so, we also want to get to know each other better over country borders, different languages and cultures.
  • In order to unfold the worldwide strategy debate on the basis of the program of the miners, we want to conduct forums at the 2nd International Miners' Conference again. Themes and schedule of the forums will be set at the 4th ICG meeting. Organizations, initiatives and movements can participate until 1 December 2015 and register it at the IMC. In order to do so, they shall shortly mention the theme, what it is about and which aim they have with the forum.
  • A decision regarding the election of the delegates for the 2nd International Miners' Conference was made, too: „Organizations, movements and trade unions of the miners can become member of the International Coordination. They must acknowledge the founding resolution and the final communique of the 1st IMC in Arequipa/Peru 2013. They are entitled to send delegates respectively to contribute to the delegates' election on national, continental and international level. (The miners detemine their delegates themselves).
    Each participating country has a maximum of 5 delegates/5 votes, which are to be elected in a national clarification process. Each country is represented by a maximum of 5 delegates and has - irrespective of the number of delegates - 5 votes. The miners determine their delegates themselves. The delegations can make proposals for the new international Coordinating Group. They can apply for the venue of the 3rd International Miners' Conference."
  • Financial principles were decided for the conduction of the 2nd International Miners' Conference. Each country shall finance the travel of its delegates if possible and further make a contribution for the mutual support in solidarity. If the travel of at least one delegate can not be made possible completely from the possibilities of a country, an application to the ICG for support from the solidarity fund can be made. This shall be done until the 4th ICG-meeting. All participating organizations hand in their finance plan to the ICG before the 4th ICG meeting.
  • inciples for the international brigadists of the International Miners' Coordination were passed for those who support the 2nd International Miners' Conference 2017 selflessly!
  • The ICG members reported from their countries, that important struggles of the miners occurred worldwide since the 2nd ICG meeting in April 2014. Outstanding was the example of the strike of 350,000 coal miners in India in January this year against the privatization of the coal mines and against wage dumping and job cuts with the result that the Indian government withdrew these plans for a start. And the wave of strikes of the coal miners in Poland from autumn to spring 2015 against the closure of several Polish hard coal mines in compliance with the decomissioning schemes of the European Union (EU). After the head of the second biggest Polish mining society declared to step back, the strike was suspended for a start - that was a main slogan of the Polish miners. The influence of the 1st IMC 2013 is noticeable in many struggles, like in the South of Peru, where population and miners act jointly against the environmental destructive plans of the Mexican copper enterprise "Southern Copper" and against state repressions. Background for the rising number of struggles of the miners is that the worldwide active mining enterprises aggressively increase the exploitation of human and nature, privatize former state companies and destroy the living conditions of the population of entire regions with the extension of open pit mining and fracking.

That confirms the insight, that "today, it is less and less possible to assert your interests against the international mining monopolies if you are isolated from each other and locally restricted". The international Miners' Coordination strenghtens the self-confidence of the miners and shows our strenght when we stand up jointly and fight. Forward-looking developments like the creation of the unity of the struggle for social demands and demands for the rescue of the natural environment are reflecting in demands, discussions and struggles of the miners of different countries.

Furthermore, the following important decisions were made at the 3rd ICG meeting:

Again, we will set up calls for the two days of struggle that were decided by the ICG: the International Day of Struggle to Save the Natural Environment in early December 2015 and 1st of May 2016. These calls are supposed to be spread among the miners and the population in the mining regions.

We attach a decision to support the World Women's Conference of grassroot woman that we made and ask you to spread it.

Dear colleagues,

the 3rd ICG meeting mid-term between the both conferences 2013 in Peru and 2017 in India shows that despite of several obstacles, different cultures and languages, despite of repressive measures by the mining enterprises and the governments linked to them, we are not to be stopped.

Thus, we call on you:

  • Join in preparing the 2nd International Miners' Conference in India in February 2017!
  • Start the national clarification process on a basis as broad as possible to elect the delegates, to finance the travel, to prepare a forum, to win brigadists!
  • Participate in the discussion of the draft program from spring 2016!
  • Participate in the days of struggle - the International Day of Struggle to Save the Natural Environment in December 2015 and 1st of May 2016. Spread the calls of the International Miners' Coordination!
  • We are working vigorously on improving our website. Use the website and send reports from your countries, too!

With a warm "Glück Auf"

Andreas Tadysiak

Main Coordinator of the International Miners' Coordination Group

International Coordination Group (ICG)
International Miners Coordination (IMC)
Office: Schmalhorststraße 1c;
45899 Gelsenkirchen; Germany
Phone: 0049 209 - 36 17 42 32
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.