LatinNews Daily Report - 26 September 2012

POLITICS | Cooperative miners prove cooperative. On 25 September the government of President Evo Morales reached a deal with the national confederation of mining cooperatives (Fencomin), whereby the latter agreed to call off the national blockades that started yesterday in response to the current dispute with salaried miners over the nationalisation of the tin/zinc Colquiri mine in La Paz. The deal followed more than 36 hours of talks between the mining representatives and the mining and labour ministers, Mario Virreira and Daniel Santalla, as well as César Navarro, the deputy minister for coordination with social movements. With the full details of the agreement yet to be released, it reportedly includes provisions relating to guarantees of jobs for the cooperative miners and legal security to prevent the seizure of mines. However, Hermo Pérez, the secretary general of the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), which backs the salaried miners, announced a 72-hour strike to begin today (26 September) in support of the latter’s calls for the mine to be handed over in its entirety to the state mining company, Comibol.