According to a report carried in today's edition of the local newspaper, El Correo del Caroni, Hecla labor representative Edwin Lopez has filed complaint over what he claims to have been a series of human rights violations allegedly committed by Hecla in recent months. "We are denouncing this company because of preoblems related to violations of human rights ... also bad pay, health & safety issues at the mine and now that it has been taken over by CVG Minerven, our lives are put at risk."
Lopez says Hecla workers want central government to take over the company (Hecla) as rapidly as possible to avoid repeated situations to the detriment of local workers. "The directors are trying to get a meeting with the vice president of the Republic to allege that we as a small group of workers are not authorized to enter the property ... this is not correct!" Lopez adds that Hecla has not managed rhe gold mine properly ... workers have not received adequate pay for their work ... "we as wrokers know how much gold is being produced ... millions of tonnes (of ore) has been mined and they have never recognized any production bonus ... and for that reason we are saying that there is exploitation of, and theft against the nation."
- The workers' collective is calling on Labor Minister Roberto Hernandez and Mining (Mibam) Minister Rodolfo Sanz to urgently attend to the situation which continues to affect hundreds of workers at the mines. "We want them to get involved as quickly as possible in El Callao and to deal with these problems ... it has reached the point where the company (Hecla) is taking reprisals against us."
Earlier this weekend at El Manteco, he met small-scale mining delegates from the 'Frente Bolivariano Cooperativistas y Mineros Revolucionarios' collective in Bolivar State to inform them of his efforts to promote a Development of Social Production Mining Units" in the National Assembly. The 'Bolivarian Cooperative and Mining Revolutionaries Front' gathers together some 10 local mining unions and more than 2,470 union members.
Revolutionaries Front spokespersons Luis Almeda, Francia Gorrochotegui and Jose Barreto claim that Mibam Minister Rodolfo Sanz visited El Supamo, Parapapoy, Los Triunfos and Guariche in April in accordance with small-scale mining regulations covered in Articles 70 andy 71 in the (new) Miining Law. "We were assured that Minister Sanz would reach a solution to the problem since the zones at the source of the Rover Caroni have been cleared, but we are still waiting word on the Mibam's exploration data to determine which zones we can work."
National Assembly mining sub commission president Angel Marcano says the commission remains in permanent session to deal effectively with upcoming issues.
Last year's mining commission president, AN deputy Ricardo Gutierrez is also keeping a close watch on developments and has been involved in top-level discussions with senior government officials throughout the last several weeks following Environment (MinAmb) Minister Yubiri Ortega de Carrizalez' still unofficial announcement that she was NOT going to approve all open-pit mining in Venezuela.
Ortega de Carrizalez' had promised that President Hugo Chavez Frias would have the final decision and that he (Chavez) would be making a definitive policy announcement last week. That statement has, however, not yet been forthcoming ... leaving jobless locals in southeastern Venezuela, foreign investors and contracted mine operators in limbo until such times as the clarification is made.
Commentators, meanwhile, see Ortega de Carrizalez' unofficial sound-bite to a Bloomberg reporter as wholly illogical and flying in the face of multi-million dollar investments in preparatory infrastructure projects already completed in southeastern Bolivar State.
No comments:
Post a Comment