Antamina labor union abandons strike
- Having obtained no results, the leaders of SUTRACOMASA suspended their strike, which days earlier had been declared inadmissible by government labor authorities.
- Since November 10th, the Union had twice attempted to paralyze productive work activities at Antamina, unsuccessfully.
In a letter addressed to the Office of the Vice President of Human Resources and Security, SUTRACOMASA has confirmed its decision to abandon the strike and “(…) to proceed to have workers return to their jobs on their respective work shifts and schedules, with workers to effectively resume work as of 07:00 hours on Monday, December 15th, 2014 (…)”.
Thus concludes the second and frustrated attempt on the part of union leaders to paralyze Antamina’s productive work activities.
The first Union strike began on November 10th and lasted for almost three weeks. This show of force was declared both unlawful and illegal by the government labor authorities at each stage of legal proceedings. Almost two weeks later, on December 10th, a second strike was launched, the one that has just been suspended, and which had already been declared unlawful by the General Directorate of Labor in one single stage legal procedure.
In both strike proceedings, SUTRACOMASA was claiming the alleged existence of failure to comply with provisions of the collective bargaining agreement, and demanded a bonus to compensate the lower amount of profit sharing. As it is well known, profits are variable income, and our company faces a business scenario in which a lower level of production coincides with an international market in which there are lower prevailing prices for the mineral products that the Company produces.
All this time, Antamina has called for the establishment of a process of transparent dialogue and understanding without any forms of pressure, an attitude which has not implied the absence of being steadfast in our convictions. SUTRACOMASA’s strike did not produce any positive results for anyone; rather, it did generate discounts to those workers who joined the strike. It also led to the filing of legal and administrative proceedings against those who committed crimes or who adversely affected the rights of others.
We will continue committing ourselves to dialogue without pressure, and to the continual search for harmonious solutions. We are proud to know that among members of the Antamina Family, there are those who never ceased to believe in work as the only means to continue progressing. We invite everyone to deeply reflect on these actions and about the establishment of a process of constructive dialogue, loyal to our culture and style, of together looking toward the future with a vision of development for everyone.
December 15th, 2014
Office of the Vice President of Human Resources and Security
Compañía Minera Antamina
