ARCHIVE

Cerrejon strike imminent

UNION workers from the Cerrejon complex in Colombia will soon be walking off the job after a vote...

Donna Schmidt

This article is 12 years old. Images might not display.

Sintracarbon union president Igor Diaz told Dow Jones Newswires on Wednesday that 85% of the 3700 union workers placed their ballots and 97% of those cast their vote in favor of a walkout demanding higher wages.

While Cerrejon has offered the group a 5% wage increase and another smaller increase in 2014, the union is demanding a 7% jump in pay in 2013 and another hike at the start of next year.

Cerrejon has not yet made public comment on the decision.

Diaz told the news outlet that, in line with Colombian labor regulations, the strike could begin anytime over the next 10 days. A 24-hour notice of intent to the operator is also required by the union.

He noted that the walkout could still be avoided should the parties come to an agreement before that call is made.

The scope of the strike could extend well beyond the 3700 union workers – some 12,000 workers, including direct employees and contractor workers, could see an impact from the strike.

Significant production, transport and fulfillment issues could also arise from the stoppage.

Cerrejon is owned by Xstrata, Anglo American and BHP Billiton.

Colombia is the world’s fourth-largest coal exporter.

It produced 87 million metric tons in 2011, falling short of a 100Mt goal in part because of a 25-day coal railway strike that forced output target cutbacks.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence: Future Fleets Report 2025

MMI Future Fleets Report 2025 looks at how companies are using alternative energy sources to cut greenhouse gas emmissions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence: Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024

Exclusive research for Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024 shows mining companies are embracing cutting-edge tech

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.