Marikana, South Africa - March 10th 2017

Message of the Marikana miners in support of the miner's strike in La Escondida, Chile

One single class, one single struggle
One single enemy: the imperialist transnational mining companies such as Angloamerican and BHP Billiton

For the international unity of the working class!

As Marikana Fighting Committee (MFC) we fully support the strike of the workers in the world’s largest copper mine in Chile.

The strike of 2,500 miners of Union No. 1 of La Escondida -the world’s largest copper mine, which has been on since Feb 10 confronting the imperialist transnational company BHP Billiton for their demands of 7% wage increase, a 25 million Chilean Pesos (around 38,000 dollars) bonus, for all workers beyond their antiquity to have the same conquers and in defense of their collective agreement, has alarmed the exploiters of Chile and the world.

In Marikana in 2012 we carried out a strike that lasted 5 months against Angloamerican and its lackeys of the South African government. We fight for decent wages and better living conditions and working conditions. All the miners that were fighting here in Marikana, not only from South Africa but from neigbhouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana or Namibia that come to work here, we grouped together. We set up rank and file assemblies, a strike committee and we clashed against the traitor bureaucracy of NUM union, that sent its thugs to break our strike. We our self defense committee we defended ourselves from them and from police repression that was unleashed and murdered 34 comrades of us, for which we still claim for justice.

Today we see that the demand of the miners of La Escondida is the same demand of Marikana miners and all the workers in southern Africa. Our demands of wages and living standards, the fight for houses, health, education of our children.

We all have the same enemy, the imperialist mining transnational companies that plunder our countries. They take away huge fortunes of copper, platinum and other minerals from our nations and leave us in absolute misery. Here it happens with Angloamerican that plunders the biggest platinum mines of the world that are in Marikana and we, as miners, don't even have houses... we only live in small shacks. In Chile, the transnational companies steal away the copper over exploiting one of the working classes that works most hours a year with miserable wages.
We are one single class, one single fight!

In order for Chile miners to conquer decent wages and pensions, free education and end with slave labour. They is need to Re-nationalization without compensation and under worker control of copper!

With immediate demands, we support the call for rank and file assemblies in all organizations groups in Chile, from all the mines, docks, factories, high schools and universities; from the poor peasants of Mapuche origin; from the sectors that fought for these demands and were betrayed; from all the sectors that are fighting and across the world to vote delegates to fight side by side with the miners of La Escondida! One single class, one single fight! 

For a unified international fight with the miners of Marikana South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Bolivia in the Southern Cone, along with the La Escondida miners in Chile and around the world against the same imperialist transnationals that plunder and bleed our nations! Out with the transnational companies

We are all miners! Equal pay for equal work!

We die and we fight together with our class brothers and sisters from Syria, Libya, Morocco, that go as refugees to Europe escaping from the counterrevolutionary massacres of imperialism, Putin, Bashar Al Assad and other fascist that kill their own people. If we die together, we have to fight together.

This is our strength, the unity and for the international struggle!

MARIKANA WE CONTINUE TO DEMAND FOR JUSTICE!
The blood of the miner comrades killed by the state and their police claims for justice! 
We won’t forget, we won’t forgive!

Aluta Continua!!!

Marikana Fighting Committee section of FLTI in South Africa