Vol. 74/No. 41      November 1, 2010

The mine, owned by San Esteban Mining Company, employs 140 workers and has a long record of safety violations. In 2007 the mine was shut down by the government because of a series of deaths and injuries. But as copper and gold prices climbed, the government allowed the mine to reopen.

Chile is the largest copper producer in the world. Small and medium-sized mines in Chile, such as the San José mine, employ some 10,000. Along with longtime miners, they hire large numbers of people with little to no training or previous mine experience.

Because the 125-year-old mine was so dangerous, it paid more than other local mines.

Chilean officials and the media have played up the fact that the rescue operation provided video feeds allowing miners to watch movies or soccer games and chat with loved ones while they waited for rescue. “They had the run of the mine,” said Jeffery Kravitz, of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, including “places to exercise.”

But the conditions the miners faced were harsh. The company’s 650-square foot “refuge” where the miners waited after the cave-in had only three days of food; there was no energy supply or adequate ventilation. Miners resorted to drinking water from equipment radiators. When located after 17 days, half were dehydrated and a number of others were nearing starvation.

After rescue, one miner had acute pneumonia, and two had to have major oral surgery. A number had fungal infections on their skin from 70 days in the damp mine.

Manuel González, the first rescuer sent into the mine, noted the “inhuman” conditions the miners faced. “It was 100 percent humidity and about 40 degrees [Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit] down there,” he said. González, who works at state-run Codelco, the world’s largest copper mine, told reporters, “Nobody should have to work like that.”

Seven of the rescued miners held a news conference asking for government benefits and job training. They also requested privacy in the face of news stories seeking to whip up a scandal with gossip about some miners’ personal lives.

San Esteban has filed for bankruptcy, leaving more than 300 workers without jobs. Miners protested at an October 17 mass celebrating the rescue, demanding severance and back pay. “We’re not 33, we’re 300,” read one sign.
 
 
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45 miners killed on the job in United States this year
Capitalism: Savior of miners?  
 
 
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