USA: to the mineworkers in Harlan County
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- Parent Category: Worldwide struggles
- Created: Friday, 13 September 2019 16:34
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Dear buddies in Harlan County/Kentucky
I am the main coordinator of the International Miners' Coordination, which has held two international miners' conferences in Peru and India so far, and I would like to express my heartfelt solidarity with you.
Due to the bankruptcy of Blackjewell LLC you have no more jobs. The company has not made the payments to the pension fund or your outstanding wages. Ruthlessly, the mining company defies your rights and the lives of your families and robs you of your livelihood.
You are fighting for your interests - I congratulate you and wish you and your families much strength and stamina. Like you, many of the more than 20 million miners in the world who mine and extract the treasures of the soil under harsh and dangerous conditions, but suffer from very poor living conditions. As we have heard, many miners in Kentucky suffer from the 'black lung' and are very ill.
Here in Germany the last coal mines have been closed and 250 miners still working for RAG (Ruhrkohle AG) have now been laid off. They, too, are currently fighting for their jobs. The principle of our miners coordination is that we miners and our families cooperate internationally and coordinate our struggles if we want to become a superior force against the international mining monopolies and their governments. At our founding conference in Arequiepa/Peru in 2013 we decided: "Today it is less and less possible to assert oneself against the international mining monopolies in isolation from one another and locally restricted. What we need is the unity of the workers worldwide". Only on the basis of concrete demands and goals, which can be achieved in the struggle against governments and corporations, such coordination can progress. We have nothing to expect from the right-wing governments and their lying promises - we must take care of ourselves!
I would encourage you to join us and join us. We can learn from each other and support each other. Our international struggle program and its demands unite us and we send it to you. I will also express my protest to Blackjewell LLC.
Sincere solidarity greetings and happiness On
Andreas Tadysiak, main coordinator of ICG (International Coordination group) and until recently active miner at Prosper/Haniel colliery in Bottrop/Germany
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator