In the following we want to publish a translation of a bulletin, published by the Union of the Construction Workers of Belo Horizonte and Region - MARRETA and the Workers League. It was distributed to the masses in a demonstration in Praça Sete and to the people of Brumadinho. A delegation of activists from MARRETA, the Workers League and the Revolutionary People’s Student Movement (MEPR) went to Brumadinho to show solidarity with the workers and residents of the area that was affected by the criminal collapse of Vale’s dams.
HIDEOUS CRIME AGAINST THE PEOPLE
Pain and revolt! Another crime against the people and the Nation.
Just over three years after the criminal collapse of the Valeão/BHP Billiton/Samarco Fundão Dam in Mariana, which killed at least 19 people, destroyed Bento Rodrigues, affected thousands of families and continues to cause casualties, a new collapse of Vale dams is another hedious crime against the people.
According to relatives, nearly 500 people were murdered and buried under tons of mud and mining waste. The destruction of the natural environment, with extensive areas of cultivation covered by the mud, is definitive. The Paraopeba River is dead.
Pressed by the commotion and revolt of the population, the press monopoly repeats that this is unacceptable, the rulers speak of punishment, impose millionaire fines, say that it will not be allowed for this to happen again. The leaders of the mining company appear with a crying face talking about the commitment to the victims, who will compensate everything and everyone, they say they will review the method of extraction, etc, etc ...
But it's all talks. They did the same in Mariana. Today, after 3 years, the miners did not compensate the victims, they did not deliver the promised houses, they did not pay a penny of the fines, they are all unpunished. On the contrary, Vale continued to buy politicians, prosecutors and the press to continue mining ore the same way, as they did in Brumadinho and in other hundreds of mines throughout the country. Without the pressure of the people, nothing will change!
Murderer Vale
On January 29, it was announced the arrest of five people from the middle ranks of Vale who would be responsible for the technical reports that attested the security for mining activity in Brumadinho. Mere scene play to keep everything as is and so the big fish and true culprits continue unpunished. Who authorized or allowed a restaurant and an administrative center to operate just below a mountain of waste?
What does the life of a worker value to them?
The multi-billionaire Vale announced that it would "donate" $ 100,000 to each affected family. Scoundrels! They think they will contain the workers' and people's revolts with an ammount of money.
The government promises to release the FGTS [Guarantee Funds for Length of Service] forthe families. Cynics! This money is from the workers! The notorious labor "reform" that these politicians imposed on Brazilian workers in 2017 limits the compensation ceiling to 50 times the worker's salary when he dies on duty, as happened to hundreds in Brumadinho.
All governments are accomplices of mining companies
We demand the immediate dismantling of all waste dams in the country
The Pimentel government sanctioned the law 2,946/2015 that made environmental licensing more flexible for mining companies to exploit. This government did not take any concrete steps towards the accountability and punishment of Vale/BHP Billiton/Samarco, much on the contrary, it worked for the mining companies to resume as soon as possible their predatory activity after the Mariana crime. The current governor, Romeu Zema, during his campaign, stated that the mining companies have a lot of difficulties to obtain the environmental license and that he would change this. In fact, two days before the crime of Brumadinho, Zema announced the expansion of the mineral exploration by Vallourec in that same district.
Bolsonaro also vociferated throughout his campaign against "bureaucratisation," saying he was going to stop the inspections by the"Shiite environmentalists."
When a tragedy occurs, and the crime is wide open for all to see, the government and the Vale make a scene play saying that it is the fault of one or the other. They are all accomplices!
According to the Water National Agency (ANA), there are currently more than 24,000 dams destined to various purposes throughout the national territory, of which 790 are destined to mining waste. And there are altogether 31 agencies that cover 154 officials to inspect all these dams. And the government further increases the criminal activity when it establishes that the company itself must exercise the supervision of its activities.
There are technologies for dry-exploring ore. Why not everyone is forced to adopt them? Because they are more expensive. The mining companies only think of their billionaire profits and it gets cheaper for these exploiters to buy half a dozen politicians, tv stations and bury the people under tons of mud.
In imperialist countries, mineral exploration meets strict rules. In countries dominated like ours, for these exploitive sharks, the people are worthless!
It is no use asking for more rigor in the inspections and nor expect anything from these rulers who, after the commotion moment, return to the same game of covering up the crimes of large companies. Can we trust that other waste dams will now be inspected?
We demand the suspension of all mining activities for the dismantling of all waste dams in the country. All dams, and not half a dozen as proposed by Vale.
Brazil: more than 500 years of theft of our natural resources
Brazil is a semi-colonial country. Our independence is fake, we are a fake republic. For 500 years our role has been of a producer and exporter of raw materials for the old metropolis and current imperialist powers of the world. Mining companies and landlords are privileged instruments of imperialism, as well as the banks and transnationals that are installed in the country, for the plundering of our natural wealth and the exploitation of the work of our people. This infamous Vale, the former Vale do Rio Doce, was created for this purpose. The globo network, with its slogan"agro, the industry-wealth of Brazil", is the exaltation of this.
And to get an idea of the privileges that this sector enjoys in the country, the whole export of raw materials, which amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars every year, does not pay a single cent of taxes to the public reserve.
The local ruling classes (big bourgeoisie, in their comprador and bureaucratic fractions, and latifundium) and their shift governors apply the policy of national subjugation. In essence this is the policy that has been increasingly applied since the establishment of the military regime in 1964, passing through all the elected governments of the different parties until it reaches the current president, who does not tire of declaring his condition of lackey of Yankee imperialism.
It was Bolsonaro's act to bring in the murderous troops of the Israeli army, which have been dropping bombs and cowardly attacking the heroic Palestinian people under US patronage for decades. They arrived at Brumadinho with the equipment that they use to search for tunnels of the Palestinian resistance but that are useless for rescues in the mud, according to the commander of the firefighters. Pure marketing move in an attempt to wipe their hands dyed from the blood of the invincible people of Palestine. Nationalize and industrialize all our natural resources
What Brazil needs is to nationalize all its natural resources, industrialize it here to guarantee employment and well-being for our people and to boost the progress of the nation.
We demand punishment for those responsible for this heinous crime! For the immediate end of all waste dams!
Justice for the dead, maimed, family and affected by Vale in Brumadinho!
Justice for the dead, maimed, family and affected by Vale/BHP Billiton/Samarco in Mariana!
Down with the theft of our wealth!
Nationalization and industrialization of the country's natural resources!
