Union, Colombia's Cerrejon mine return to talks in bid to avoid strike
BOGOTA – Colombia's top thermal coal mine Cerrejon and its largest union have returned to talks in a bid to avoid a strike over pay and benefits, the two sides said on Friday.
A ten-day voting period for union members to decide whether to stop work after failed talks ends on Monday afternoon. A strike could begin within three days of the close of voting.
"By request of the company we returned to the negotiating table on Thursday," Aldo Amaya, president of the Sintracarbon union, told Reuters. "We are willing to look for a new agreement and we have started working on a deal, but haven't yet touched the issue of increments for salary increases."
The company, equally owned by BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Glencore, offered a 2018 salary increase of 5.9% during last week's talks. The union has demanded 12% and increased health and education benefits.
A source at the company, which employs 5 000 people, said Cerrejon was optimistic the two sides could reach a deal.
Production and exports at Cerrejon fell for a third straight year in 2017, when it mined 31.7-million tonnes of coal, as heavy rainfall affected operations, the owners said this month.
Cerrejon accounts for 37% of Colombia's coal output, the world's fifth-largest exporter of the mineral. Coal is the country's second most important export.
The last strike at Cerrejon, which produces coal at its open pit mine in northern La Guajira province, was in February 2013 and lasted 32 days.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Established in 1933, EKATO is the world leader in agitation technology, supplying agitators for processes and applications such as chemicals and...
VISIT SHOWROOM
From batteries for boats and jet skis, to batteries for cars and quad bikes, SABAT Batteries has positioned itself as the lifestyle battery of...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
