2014, Chronicle of Truth
By: Napoleon Gomez
Tags: Mexico

2014, Chronicle of Truth

The following article was written by Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, and originally published in Spanish on December 11th, 2014 in La Jornada, Mexico City’s leading daily newspaper, considered by many scholars as one of the last remaining independent newspapers in the Americas.

2014 has been one of the most prolific years in terms of advances and achievements made by the National Miners Union, which I am honored to lead. The conditions faced by this great mining trade union, and I as its leader, over the previous nine years of hard work and effort have undergone appreciable change over these past twelve months, albeit change that is not yet definitive and complete. Notably, the sick persecution that we’ve been subjected to has started to subside since the current Mexican government came to power, and this has been the standout change of recent months.

Two events in 2014 stood out above others. The good level of communication established with mining, steel and metalwork companies, the great majority of which maintain positive working relations with the National Miners Union, has been strengthened, and the notion that the right path to follow is one of respect for the interests and rights of workers gained further ground. In return, trade unionists also began to take a more objective view of the problems currently faced by such companies.

On November 7th of this year the third Annual Meeting between the National Miners Union and over 40 companies took place in the city of Vancouver, Canada, which reinforced in every sense what we have jointly come to dub ‘the spirit of Vancouver’. This spirit is based on mutual respect between companies and the union, enabling us to tackle the challenges of productivity, create decent jobs and ensure the greatest efficiency for both parties in the production process, in recognition of the dignity of workers.

This event made it clear to the whole nation and to the government that rather than confrontation, the Miners Union is looking to promote amicable collaboration between both parties, while always taking into account the work and freedom of employees. It was yet another call to the government to move beyond the mining dispute once and for all, a dispute which is based on the unlawful and perverse political, judicial and industrial persecution that we miners have endured over recent years, with dignity and a constructive attitude. This very attitude is behind the fact that the annual increases in revenue from our sector are the highest in the country at 14% overall, compared to other working sectors, where growth is stunted at between 3.5 and 4%.

This allows current members of the government to see that those who are supporting progress in this country are also the ones practicing what I have called 21st century free trade unionism. The message is clear: public authorities should act in a reciprocal way by bringing an end to the mining dispute, which is the reason for my voluntary exile in Canada and which affects working relations and prevents us from properly coordinating efforts between the organised working classes, the government and private companies, and by putting in place the conditions required to bring our life as a trade union back to normal, allowing us to set progressive development targets.

Added to this far from small matter in 2014 was the fact that our legal defence team succeeded in getting the false and unconstitutional charges against me completely revoked in a court of law. These charges had been the foundation of an aggressive campaign waged by several companies, complicit with the PAN (National Action Party) governments of Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, in complete breach of the rule of law and a number of existing laws, including the Constitution of the United Mexican States, as well as the 87th Convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), since the accusations have now been proven to be fallacious and defamatory.

Added to these key moments in 2014 were the unlawful obstacles put in place by the Mexican government, intended to bring about my extradition. Not only did the Canadian authorities have no truck with the bungled claims behind the extradition, they initially granted me permanent residency, followed this year by Canadian nationality, which in practice rendered those baseless attempts at extradition null and void. This was accompanied by the canceling of the Interpol red notice, which was finally withdrawn by the international police organization this year once and for all, after it was concluded to have been based on an unlawful campaign of political persecution against me.

The first steps were taken on the road to dismissing these false and fictional charges when various foreign governments refused to accept or recognize Mexico’s absurd campaign to criminalize my struggle as the free and democratic trade union leader, elected by national mining and steel workers. It was this that allowed me to attend the meeting of the worldwide National Executive Committee of the IndustriALL Global Union in December 2013, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland. This week, from 8th — 10th December 2014 I was also able to take an active role in the International Executive Council Conference of the United Steelworkers union, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I spent over two years writing my book The Collapse of Dignity, in which I tell the story of my personal struggle and that of the miners against this unjust political persecution, and I also present my vision and hope for a better future for the working classes, its organizations, and society. With the book’s publication in English in 2013, followed by Spanish in 2014 and finally in French, I’ve been able to give my account of the truth of these events, which has led it being named a bestseller by both the New York Times and USA Today.

The publication of The Collapse of Dignity in these three languages has undoubtedly had a part to play in the easing — albeit insufficient — of the savage persecution against me, which was first unleashed in 2006 after I described the Pasta de Conchos tragedy as industrial homicide, whereby Grupo México left 65 miners who could have been saved to die. The same company exhibited similar negligence in 2014 with the spillage of 400 million litres of toxic residues into the waters of the rivers of Sonora, evidence that Mr. Larrea has learnt precious little from his own failings and mistakes.

Throughout the year the unconditional global solidarity has been steady and has indeed intensified, expressed by 200 million workers across the planet through the most powerful international trade unions. Added to this, in June 2014 I received the prestigious Arthur Svensson Prize from the most important organisations in Norway for fighting to promote trade union rights, which complemented the Meany-Kirkland Prize awarded to me by the American Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO) in November 2011, in recognition of the struggle for human rights and social justice. Then in May 2014, the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York gave me a Gold Medal for the profound subject of the true story told in my book.

In Mexico, in September of this year, I was also given the Sentimientos de la Nación prize (Sentiments of the Nation) by the Popular Assembly of the People of Guerrero (APPG, by its initials in Spanish), for my struggle to defend the social rights of Mexicans. In November, on Thursday 27th, I received the great recognition of the Emilio Krieger medal which is awarded to those fighting for social justice by the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (ANAD, by its initials in Spanish).

All these events underline the importance that 2014 has had for me personally, and for the National Miners Union as a whole. A year of advances and successes, accompanied by the fact that various mining workers groups have openly and publicly stated their intention to join our trade union, and that others have refused to leave our ranks, despite the attempts of certain companies, or even obsolete social organizations, to crush the struggle and freedom of association of genuine workers.

This month, as we do every year, we’ll be holding general assembly meetings with our colleagues from the various sections of the National Miners Union. The content of this message will help to strengthen and consolidate the fight for the democracy and freedom that historically set us miners apart.