The President announces a 600 million pesos fund in support of retired miners from Cananea

Nestor Jimenez

Sent

La Jornada newspaper
Friday, November 12, 2021, p. 5

Cananea, Son., With a call to leave the confrontation in Cananea behind, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced the creation of a fund of 600 million pesos, of which half will be contributed by Grupo México, owner of the mine of copper, to grant a pension of a minimum wage for 10 years to more than a thousand retired workers who did not receive any type of social security.

As part of the presentation of the results of the Justice Plan for Cananea, the executive vice president of Grupo México, Javier García de Quevedo, was seated at the main table of the event held in this border city, and together with the chief executive and secretaries of state. , as well as the legal representative of the company, who signed the announced share plan. They also greeted and spoke briefly with López Obrador after signing the agreements.

The members of section 65 belonging to the National Union of Mining, Metallurgical and Similar Workers of the Mexican Republic, were placed until the end of the place, along with thirty retirees and affected people.

Although they recognized that there is progress with the strategy, the union delegates stressed that the head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), Luisa Alcalde, has missed to reach agreements.

Also Martha Patricia Velarde, affected by the contamination of the Sonora River, shouted at the company owned by Germán Larrea: outside Grupo México del Río Sonora. He immediately stated that it seemed to him an insult the presence of company representatives at the meeting.

Four months after announcing the plan of care for Cananea and this region of northern Sonora, President López Obrador, with most of his legal and expanded cabinet, returned to the demarcation to present the first results of the strategy.

Among the actions, Governor Alfonso Durazo signed the donation of the Cananea general hospital to the IMSS, to serve both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The Historic Center and other spaces will also be rehabilitated with 130 million pesos.

Under the dome of the Mártires High School of 1906, referring to the mining strike that was repressed by local and federal authorities, which was one of the triggers of the Mexican Revolution, the Tabasco recalled the importance of this fact, and said that before the oppression that prevailed against workers at that time, only foolish conservatives could say that we were better off with Porfirio Díaz.

When exposing the agreements reached, he added: I do not rule out the possibility that we will have a meeting of all; that the confrontation be left behind and that we all unite for the benefit of Cananea, that we start forward, that there be unity of unions, leaders, workers, local authorities, the people and the mining company. Given the historical differences, reconciliation will take time, but let’s not rule it out.

After the mining company was the cause of one of the biggest environmental tragedies in the country in 2014, with the spill of toxins into the Sonora and Bacanuchi rivers, it was explained that Semarnat continues to analyze water, air and land to determine the damages and actions to follow.

The Ministry of Labor stated that it is making progress in achieving fair agreements for the demands made by section 65 of the Mining Union and in the legal conflict for 5 percent of the resources of the privatization of the mine, granted to the union.

The Secretary of Labor has left a lot to see because she has not had the capacity and impartiality that she should carry on this issue, because we all know that the 5 percent issue is already settled.Heriberto Verdugo, delegate of the National Executive Committee of the Mining Union, said in an interview.