Mining and Conflict in Colombia

Abstract

FOCUS □ WORKERS'RIGHTSIN FORMALANDINFORMAL MINING Mining and Conflict in Colombia Colombia the itshistory. local has population Even been before a mining exploited theSpanish country mines arrived all and of Colombia itshistory. Evenbefore theSpanisharrived thelocal populationexploitedminesand panned for gold in its rivers. Afterthe Conquistadors invasionthe rateof exploitation increased andslaveswerebrought infrom Africa forthemining industry. Itis no surprise thatthe violenceassociatedwithmanyaspects of the country impacts aroundthemining industry. In 1988theColombian army's 14thBrigadein conjunction witha paramilitary squad murdered 43 peopleinthetownofSegoviaas punishment forhavingvotedagainstthe LiberalParty. Not onlywerethelocalsattacked, theunionsat the mine(Frontino GoldMinesLtd)cameundersustainedattackand when the paramilitaries took control ofthetowntheyalso madeinroadsinto theunionsatthemine. Drummond, a USmining company that operates inthenorthern department ofCesaris one ofa number of companiesexploiting the open cast coalmines tobe found there. InMarch 2001,three trade unionists weretaken off thebusthat brought workers to and from themineand murdered by the paramilitaries: amongstthe dead were the president oftheunionValmore Locarnoand the vicepresident Victor HugoOrcasita. Thecompany successfully fought offa civilsuitintheUS after theColombian Stateprevented one of themain witnesses RafaelGarciafrom giving evidencein theUS. Garciawas at thetimeofthemurders a high-ranking officer inthenow disbandedsecret policeorganisation knownas theDAS. Colombia'sminingindustry is based on the extraction ofcoal at theopen castminesin the north of thecountry. In 2009,thecountry produced72 .8million tonnes ofcoal,6.5times more coal thanitsclosestcompetitor, Mexico,which producedonly11.1 million tonnes.Such is the size of its coal industry thatthe value of its exportsis almostthreetimesthatof the gold exported. In 2010Colombiathevalueofitscoal exports amounted to 6,015million dollars(FOB) comparedto 2,094million dollarsforgold.The largestchunkof theseexportscame fromjust two departments in the country, Cesar and La Guajira, both home to companies such as Drummond (US), Glencore (Swiss) Xstrata (Australian) and the consortium El Cerrejónin which they allparticipate. In2010bothareasproduced 67,100 tonnesof coal comparedto a national production figure of74,350tonnes. Therearesome3000legally operated minesin Colombia,mostof themare smallto medium sizedand are,in general, non-unionised. Wages are low and workingconditionsare hard. Accordingto Colombia's Ministry of mines between 2005andJuly 2011,582miners losttheir livesinworkplace accidents suchas theexplosion at thecoal minein Amagáin 2010 which claimedthelivesof80 miners, thesinglebiggest loss oflifeata mine.The Amagáminewas subjectedto an audita number ofdaysprior to the accident and was givena cleanbillofhealth. In Queensland,Australia in the same timeperiod only16 miners losttheir livesin theentire miningindustry . InColombiathere isa complete lack ofoversight oftheindustry, withfewinspectors and withtheexceptions ofthelargecompanies no unionsto vouch forand fight forworkers rights anddecentworking conditions andproper healthand safetyprocedures.The Ministry of Minesalso pointsoutthatwhilst thefatality rate was 582 deathsforthe periodthe numberof emergencies dealtwithat mineswas also high. Therewere 440 emergencies in the same time period,whichindicates thatthedeathratecould easilybe higher and to somedegree,582deaths is fortunately low given the generalstate of healthand safety atminesinthecountry. Thisis newsto no one giventhatIngeominas, theState bodycharged withoversight intheindustry, had untilrecently just 16 inspectors to coverall of thesemines.Each one would have to visit187 minesperyearto coverthemall, i.e one mine every two days. Given the geography of Colombia'sminesthisis impossible.It would takethem daysjusttogettosomeofthesemines in remoteareas. The sad reality is thatmost minesareauditedveryinfrequently. Eveninthe largeminessuch as thoserunby Drummond, whereone wouldexpectthecompany tobe able to afford and to have the technicalabilityto implement proper health andsafety programmes, the situation of the workersis stark.Between 2001and 2011there were4,500workplaceaccidentsat the company,basicallyone foreach worker employed atthecompany. On thesalary front thesituation forworkers in theminesis equallydramatic. Mining Engineers can earn very good salaries. The magazine Dinero (Money)claimsa salaryof $69,000US dollarsforsuchan engineer and up to $122,000 forforeign engineers brought in by themining company,however,the realityfor the some 300,000people who workin thesectoris quite different. Thesesalaries for someoftheengineers inthegoldmining sector mayormaynotbe true. However, salariesinthesector generally go from a minimum wage ofapproximately of$324dollars per monthto around$650 per month.In some ofthelarger coal mining companiessuch as Drummond, some salariesof lowerranking professionals can be in the regionof around $1200dollarsper month, whichis a reasonable salarybyColombianstandards, butis stilla pittanceand nothing in comparison to theprofits generated bythemining companies.In thecoal Thereare 3000 legallyoperated mines in Colombia,most are small and non-unionised. Wages are low and conditions are hard GEARÓID ÓL0INGSIGH¡san independent journalist in Colombia Page 17Volume 19Issue 3201 2 INTERNATIONAL union rights FOCUS □ WORKERS'RIGHTSIN FORMALANDINFORMAL MINING The Cerrejón consortiumis highlyunionised, some 3700 ofthe 4,400 workersare unionisedand thatdoes make some difference to theirconditions miningsectora companysuch as Drummond spends about $5.70 of every$100 in sales on wages. The Cerrejónconsortium however...