Another Drummond Worker Dies on the Job

Eva Seidelman, ILRF Program Assistant                        

The La Loma coal mine owned by the Alabama based company, Drummond, is a major danger zone for workers. On October 30, 2009, yet another worker died on the job due to a work accident, the third death at a Drummmond owned-mine since March 2009. 16 workers producing for Drummond have died within the short period Drummond has maintained operations in Colombia.

Luis Eduardo Manrriquez, a 37 years old father had worked for just 3 months as a welder for Drummond's contractor, H L Ingenieros before falling to his death. Drummond is yet again, refusing to claim responsibility for the worker's death under the grounds that Manrriquez was not a direct employee of Drummond. Drummond is clearly taking advantage of the Colombia's anti-worker climate where labor  subcontracting is a pervasive way for corporations to evade accountability with regards to worker rights.

Additionally, Drummond is actively engaged in a battle against the union representing its' workers, Sintraminergetica. In March of 2009, 4000 workers peacefully protested poor and precarious working conditions at Drummond owned mines. The strike was called as a worker had just died on the job and Fenoco, Drummond's coal transport contractor, was refusing to negotiate a labor proposal (CBA) despite its' legal obligation to bargain with 600 union members. The strike was deemed illegal and Fenoco brought in the Colombian National Guard to violently attack workers. Drummond initially refused to move Fenoco towards negotiations.  In addition, Drummond suspended and/or fired at least 9 workers in retaliation for the strike at its mines.

For its part, Fenoco (which is partially owned by Drummond) illegally fired 25 workers, 8 of whom were union leaders. The U.S. based United Steel Workers union (USW) have
been informing Secretary of State Clinton of Drummond's actions against workers in hopes that the U.S. government will put pressure on both the Colombian Government and the profitable U.S. company, Drummond to end labor rights violations.

Comments

[mario s. galaura]

Outsourcing or contractualization is a management prerogatives accorded to capital as last resort to rescue its business impending lossess.This a statutory rights granted by the laws to investors.Independnent labor contaractor even if they want it to give benefits to their contarctual workers is not feasible anchored on the meager service fee charged towards their clients due to stiffer or keen competition on this field.However contractor. There are contarctor's who faitfull remitted social benefits for their workers and paid them in accordanc with the minimm wages. their income is ro meager amount representing service fee. It for this reason that they can not afford to yield benefits of what us given to regular direct employees.It is a high time of professionalizing Independent LABOR contractor of enacting a laws equipped with more muscles for Contractor to assert its right as such towards opportunist and exploitor principals and making the former as its escape-goat or shock absorber of its violations by renumerating the contractor to bear the burden of labor violations. undoubtedly,one of the objectives to outsource is to preempt unionism within the company which they considered a great threats of its business operation the only disparity between regular direct employee an outsource workers is the benefits provied in the CBA. among others, economic benefits an security of tenure.

This labor dilemma can only be fully addressed if the principal would also grant benefits to contractualworkers ss what their regular workers enjoyed with without the benefits of joining the union and its security of tenure shall be founded with the peformance not the lenght of service provided not prejudicial of the inhrent rights of the principal