The coal mine had temporarily ceased operation due to blockades by former workers and local communities.
The Mines Ministry reported that, after agreeing to a dialogue table with former Cerrejón mine workers and indigenous people from the Media Luna community, the blockades that had obstructed coal operations in La Guajira were lifted.
On May 24, the company reported that it was forced to suspend operations due to two blockades, one on the railway line and the other at the Puerto Bolívar plant, which has already been lifted.
The situation prevented the transportation of coal and the delivery of water to the communities, in addition to preventing the arrival of essential supplies for the mining operation.
According to Cerrejón, the protesters were former employees who had been dismissed in February and went to the de facto means to demand their reinstatement to the company or additional compensation to those legally established. Those fired, for their part, assure local media that their departure was without just cause.
Also read: Cerrejón suspends operations due to lack of fuel due to blockades
“With the accompaniment of Sintracarbón, six spokesmen of those dismissed by Cerrejón on February 23, 2021, we have met with the company in order to set up a dialogue table in which to discuss alternative solutions to the problems derived from our dismissal without just cause, that is, unemployment, lack of income and social security of which more than 226 families were victims ”, said the Union of Workers of the Coal Industry in a statement.
The space for dialogue has been carried out with the accompaniment of the governor of La Guajira, Nemesio Roys, social managers of the National Police and other entities. With the lifting of the blockades , more than 60,000 tons of coal per day were enabled to exit the railroad for export .
“With dialogue, solutions can always be found that allow us to continue with daily routines and tasks, thus contributing to the generation of income for households, regions and the country. These agreements were achieved thanks to the joint work of the National, departmental and local Government, which accompanied and arranged elements to facilitate dialogue between the parties with a view to achieving the normalization of activities, ”said the Deputy Minister of Mines, Sandra Sandoval.
The union, for its part, says that “the meeting ends without progress, but awaiting a response from the company.” And although they chose to suspend the protest, they ask the company to evaluate their proposals.
According to the Energy portfolio, La Guajira’s coal operations have represented an average of 32% of national production in the last five years and generate more than 9,000 jobs.
