The companies are accused of not complying with several regulations and not carrying out consultation process with the local population.

The social organizations, among them several members of Via Campesina Guatemala, warn that they will take measures and bring legal actions if Guatemalan President, Alvaro Colom, does not comply with what was established by the ILO.

Particularly, the international organization pointed out in February that the mining operations of Cementos Progreso in San Juan Sacatepéquez and the works in Marlin Mine by Montana Exploradora in San Marcos department should be immediately halted.

The Commission of Experts in the application of ILO conventions and recommendations said that Cementos Progreso should assess the social, spiritual, cultural and environmental impacts of the activities together with the local people, who have the right to know in which ways the operations of the company will affect them.

In terms of Montana Exploradora, the Commission expressed their concerns due to the fact that the government is “submitting information already presented”, which causes a lack of progress, according to TeleSUR-Guatemala. The experts demand new investigations, a prior consultation process with local communities and detailed information.

For both cases, the Commission is basing its statements on the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. Peasant, indigenous and environmentalist organizations point out that the Guatemalan government has been failing to comply with several points of the convention for thirteen years. The organizations have been asking the ILO to assess this behavior since 2004.

The representative of the Peasant Unity Committee, Daniel Pascual, said that in case the government does not comply with the requests by ILO, indigenous, peasant, maya, garifuna and xinkas organizations will meet to coordinate the necessary actions.

It is possible that legal actions be brought against Colom´s administration due to non fulfillment of binding regulations imposed by an international organization. Pascual said that the government is not properly addressing the mining issues faced by communities, according to the newsletter of Via Campesina Guatemala and the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations. On the contrary, struggles are criminalized and the freedom of speech and protest is undermined.

Over 40 community consultations have been carried out in different regions of Guatemala, in which the local populations have rejected mining exploration and exploitation.

Photo: Bert K