Fredericton Peace Coalition

Amy Goodman: Democrats criticized the Republican-controlled “rubber-stamp Congress,” which failed to provide adequate oversight of the Bush administration. Now that the Democratic Party has control of Congress, the onus is upon them to restore law and order, to investigate the use of torture and to demand prosecution of those who engaged in it.

Today Sunday January 28 the Cerrejon and Sintracarbon negotiating committees arrived at an agreement on the fundamental points from our bargaining proposal like Wages, Health, Education, Loans, Transportation, Subcontracted/Temporary Workers, and Communities.

In the next few days the negotiating committees will be working on the language for the points agreed upon in order to sign a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and in this way bring an end to the conflict.

Sintracarbon is grateful for the outpouring of support we received from the workers, the temporary and subcontracted workers, the delegates, the union leaders, the legal and union advisors, the Guajira community, the communities displaced and affected by the mine, our sister organizations including civic, social, popular, peasant, union, and the international community and unions. Without their unconditional support this agreement would not have been possible.

Among the 33 “forgotten” areas in dire need of funding are Afghanistan and Sudan, it says.

A Second World War vet and a Fredericton anti-war group say they support the 120 soldiers sent from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Monday, but oppose the mission and Canada’s role in the war-torn country.

“I support the military 100 per cent, but when someone tells me I am required to do something, I get up in arms,” said one long-time base employee who didn’t want to be named for fear of professional reprisal. “I will not support our men going over to fight and die in a war we have nothing to do with,” added the employee in an interview.

Approx. 16% of New Brunswick power is generated from coal from El Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia.

RESPONSE TO LEON TEICHER

IF DIALOGUE MEANS IMPOSITION, THEN A STRIKE IS INEVITABLE

In order for dialogue to be an effective means to come to an agreement between two parties in a negotiation, both parties have to negotiate in good faith. Cerrejon’s negotiating committee has not shown good faith in these negotiations. They have continually been arrogant and intransigent, which has made it very difficult to come to an agreement.

It is their negotiators’ behavior that has made dialogue impossible, and that has forced Sintracarbón’s negotiating committee to leave the table. Not because we wanted to, but because Cerrejon’s negotiating committee made it clear that they have nothing else to propose and we have no alternative but a strike.

Our world-class operators and technicians who work in the mining complex have generated fabulous profits for the company in recent years. It is inconceivable to us that the company cannot offer a solution to the needs that our union has explained in our bargaining proposal, through the kind of dialogue that you allude to in your statement, considering that we are the lowest-paid miners in the world.

It seems to us that your statement was an attempt to undermine our negotiating committee and delegitimize it in the eyes of the workers. For example, in your statement you claim that Cerrejon’s proposal offered a 7.5% raise in the first year, when in fact the offer Cerrejon made was for a 7.25% increase. We would like to believe that you were simply misinformed, and that this false information is not part of your strategy.

Our union also laments the lack of sensitivity and rationality on the part of Cerrejon’s negotiating committee. Their continual arrogance, intransigence, insensitivity and irrationality are not conducive to creating an appropriate path to dialogue to arrive at an agreement that will end the conflict.

Sintracarbon fraternally invites Leon Teicher to examine the attitudes of his negotiating committee, if he truly wishes to construct a dialogue and not simply an imposition. We invite him to negotiate directly with our negotiating committee as the only possible path to a negotiated solution.

Our union reaffirms the desire and will that we have consistently demonstrated at the negotiating table, to arrive at an agreement through dialogue. But it must be an agreement that satisfies the needs of the workers, temporary and subcontracted workers, and communities. We understand that our goal is to sign a good collective bargaining agreement. But if we can’t achieve this, you can be sure that we will make full use of our legal right to A STRIKE, and it will be a huge strike, and we hold you responsible for its consequences.

Finally, we invite you to reflect upon the following:

IF DIALOGUE MEANS IMPOSITION, THEN A STRIKE IS INEVITABLE

‘After we went to Iraq, I began to see through the lies.’

—U.S. air force Staff Sgt. Tassi McKee, who was among the protesters