TORONTO, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Canadian steelworkers Friday joined Mexican mineworkers to demand justice for two Mexican protesters killed at a gold mine owned by a Canadian company in Mexico.
The United Steelworkers (USW) in Canada sent an open letter to Canadian Foreign Minister and chief negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Cynthia Freeland, urging the Canadian government to contact Mexican authorities, Canadian company Torex Gold Resources which operated the mine, and related Mexican workers unions to solve the conflict and avoid further violence.
On Nov. 18, two workers protesting at Torex's Media Luna gold mine, which is located near the town of Azcala in Mexico's southern state of Guerrero, were killed by gunmen near a blockade, according to the Mexican National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers (Los Mineros).
Workers at the mine have been on strike since Nov. 3, protesting working conditions and demanding the right to join Los Mineros. Members of the company-supported protection union CTM reportedly have been accused of responsibility for shooting dead the two protesters.
According to the USW, the conflict at Media Luna underscored the need for enforceable labor rights protections that must be implemented before the launch of a new NAFTA.
In addition, the USW said the conflict also underscored the need for an extractive industries ombudsperson to ensure transparency and accountability in overseas operations of Canadian mining companies.
The USW said that it will send a delegation to Guerrero to investigate the attacks on the striking miners and their communities, and that it has cemented a strategic alliance since 2005 with the Los Mineros to work closely on cross-national organizing and human rights issues.
