RE:RE:RE:RE:Done deal? Strike over? The strike, which lasted 42 days, was marked by clashes between police and miners, resulting in three people dead and several injured.
Miners from Colombia’s Segovia and Remedios municipalities have reached an agreement with the government, ending a 42-day strike against proposed mining policies.
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The strike, which began on July 21 in the Antioquia department, was organized in rejection of legislation that would have favored large foreign companies instead of local artisanal and ancestral mining. The protesters, predominantly Indigenous and Black campesinos, demanded that the Senate withdraw Bill 190, which they claimed would affect the businesses of traditional miners in the region.
Over 10,000 Colombian miners began protesting against the expansion plans of multinational mining companies.
With the agreement, local miners will now be able to continue working legally as they will be officially recognized by the country’s Mining Bureau. They will also receive funds for workplace safety and other services, in accordance with their demands.
Colombian Deputy Mining Minister Carlos Cante said he hopes the deal will put an end to the strike — which paralyzed trade, transportation and classes in the two municipalities — in the next few hours.
Cante added that before lifting the strike, representatives of the Mining Bureau will travel to Segovia and Remedios to discuss the agreed-upon points with residents.
Clashes between police and miners resulted in three people dead and several injured, as well as cases of alleged repression by Colombian anti-riot police, known as ESMAD.
https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Colombia-Miners-End-Strike-After-Agreement-With-Government-20170831-0006.html