VANCOUVER – Mine workers from Mexico, joined by United Steelworkers (USW) union members, will demonstrate Tuesday outside the Vancouver offices of Orla Mining to protest violence and intimidation against workers at Orla’s Camino Rojo mine in Mexico.
WHO: Members of the Mexican miners’ union Los Mineros and the United Steelworkers union
WHAT: Protest outside Orla Mining offices in Vancouver over human and labour rights abuses
WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 4:30 p.m. PDT
WHERE: Sidewalk outside 1075 W. Georgia St., Vancouver
Since the spring of 2024, the Mexican miners’ union Los Mineros has alleged in numerous Mexican labour complaints that Orla Mining has pressured and coerced its workers in Mexico to decertify their union and affiliate with a pro-employer company union. A cartel is present at the mine and is alleged to have a relationship with the company’s management and the pro-employer union. Members of the cartel have threatened violence against workers who do not support the pro-employer union.
Last June the Mineros submitted a complaint over the company’s interference in their rights to freedom of association. The complaint was accepted by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), and is now moving to an international arbitration panel.
On Sept. 29, 2024, an armed assailant attempted to enter the home of the local leader of Los Mineros at the mine, Jaime Pulido. It is believed that the cartel was responsible, and the Mineros union alleges the cartel is acting in concert with the company-aligned union as well as the mine’s management. After receiving credible threats to his life, Pulido went into hiding with his family. Since then, the Mineros union has requested the intervention of the Canadian ambassador, and has protested outside the embassy in Mexico City.
On Nov. 12, 2024, the Canadian office of the USW filed a complaint under the RRM with the Canadian government, over Orla Mining’s continued interference in their workers’ rights to freedom of association, and the increasingly dangerous environment at the mine. The complaint is currently under investigation by Employment and Social Development Canada. On Nov. 22, 2024, despite this climate of intimidation, Mexico’s Secretary of Labour held a union election which was won by the company union, displacing the Mineros. The Mineros have since filed comprehensive legal appeals, and the USW continues to advocate for its complaint under the RRM to proceed to a panel for determination.
“We strongly support our allies, the Mineros. The USW will do whatever we can to ensure that the labour and human rights of workers are respected wherever Canadian mining companies have their operations,” said Scott Lunny, USW District 3 Director (Western Canada and the Territories).
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