Info letter No 1 of the 2nd International Miners’ Coordination

Dear friends, the 2nd International Miners' Conference took place very successfully in Ramagundam/Godavari-Khani, an important mining region in India, from 2 to the 5 February 2017. The region of Singareni is called the "Manchester of India". In that region a bitter resistance takes place against the conversion from underground to open pit mining with hundreds of villages are being razed to the ground, a monstrous environmental destruction is taking place and productivity and exploitation are rapidly increasing.

In advance, the National Preparatory Committee in India, consisting of 10 organisations, successfully carried out a public relations and donation campaign throughout the country to support the International Miners' Movement. Thousands of Indian miners and their families took part in the conference. 38 delegates from 16 countries and 4 continents participated: from Bangladesh, Belarus, Colombia, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Congo, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, the Ukraine and Nepal. Governments, mining corporation or visa refusal prevented the journey of 8 more delegations. In numerous countries the conference had been intensely prepared among the rank-and-file miners – including discussions about the programme of struggle and the election of delegates at national meetings. Altogether miners as well as their organisations from 60 countries were involved in the preparation. The conference was characterized by active miners, rooted in their struggles. It was governed by the request and determination to progress to a true international coordination of struggles. The delegates unified on a joint international programme of struggle as well as on the election of a strong International Miners' Coordination including members from 4 continents (Colombia, Germany, Congo, India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines and Poland). The next conference has been scheduled for the year of 2022. Countries may apply as hosts until 31 January 2019. This time frame should be sufficient to organise regional and/or continental conferences in 2019/2020. The coordination is to be developed particularly at the regional and continental level. Concerning the results you can find more information about the Final Resolution and the country reports at the website www.minersconference.org. The increasing interest and the need for international coordination was expressed on all sides. The common will to overcome existing obstacles which are still in our way became apparent. It is now clear: It must not happen any more that there are struggles of miners which receive no international solidarity! We all have to work on that and also mutually inform each other via the website at once, carry out solidarity actions, send delegations of miners, collect monetary and in-kind donations up to joint cross-border struggles for collective demands against the internationally operating corporations! The Final Communiqué of the 2nd International Miners' Conference states in that respect: „We are able to accomplish great deeds and we kindly invite the miners of the whole world to take part in it. The miners of the world cannot be defeated! The miners united can never be defeated!"
Concerning the implementation of the decisions of the 2nd International Miners' Conference:
1. The International Miners' Coordination will publish the miners' programme of struggle in English, French, Spanish, Russian and German language by July. We try to get it done as early as possible.
2. The International Miners' Coordination divided the period until the next Miners' Conference in 2022 into four stages:

  • First stage: evaluation process of the 2nd International Miners' Conference and systematic announcement of its results among the rank-and-file miners, approx. 1 to 1.5 years. This includes the acquisition of members for the IMC in connection with practical steps for the cross-border coordination of struggles, demands and experience.
  • Second stage: Reinforcement of the International Coordination Group and construction of regional coordination (throughout 2018) in connection with practical steps of coordinating struggles as well as the cooperation for activities and projects across borders
  • Third stage: Preparation and implementation of regional or continental conferences (at the end of 2018 by the end of 2019)
  • Fourth stage: Preparation and implementation of the 3rd International Miners' Conference in 2022 in connection with the development of the worldwide and regional coordination and cooperation of struggles to a higher level

3. The 2nd International Miners' Coordination will produce international calls for the international days of struggle: March 8, May 1st and environmental day of struggle which can be used for the work among the miners and their families.

We call on everybody to make the results of the conference public as well as to advertise for the membership among other miners' organisations and trade unions. Take part in financing the International Miners' Coordination, e.g. through donation campaigns. Join the work and use our website to post contributions and information: www.minersconference.org!
Become a member of the International Miners' Coordination and advertise for the membership! You can simply send an informal written declaration to us in which you recognise the Founding and Final Resolution of the 1st International Miners' Conference. Report your struggles and actions of miners to the Miners' Coordination and organise practical solidarity for them. No significant struggle of miners may be led without our solidarity anymore! We are always happy to answer your questions, suggestions and criticism.

Good luck! (German miners' saying for "good luck")
Andreas Tadysiak
Main Coordinator of the International Miners' Coordination