Sintracarbón signs labour transition pact with Colombian government

More than 3,000 workers were made redundant in 2021 following the closure of the coal operations of Prodeco, a Glencore subsidiary, in the Cesar mining corridor. For years, the National Union of Coal Industry Workers (Sintracarbón, an IndustriALL Colombian affiliate) and the families affected by the redundancies campaigned for support. Their efforts led to collaboration with Gustavo Petro's government to launch a Labour Retraining Programme for the Cesar Mining Corridor. The programme aims to tackle the unemployment crisis.

New opportunities for mining workers

As a result of this initiative, 104 former workers took part in the programme, where they acquired the necessary skills to enter the electricity and renewable energy sectors, opening the door to new opportunities for formal employment.

On 25 July 2026, in Valledupar, they received their professional registration certificates from the National Council of Electrical Technicians (CONTE), which certify their skills as electrical technicians specialising in photovoltaic energy and facilitate their entry into the labour market in this new sector.

The presentation of the certificates took place during a ceremony that also marked a further step forward in the country's energy transition policy.

The president of Sintracarbón, Jaime López García, stated:

"Sintracarbón is moving in the right direction. Vocational retraining must be provided today to those who urgently need it, because multinationals and previous governments have left them without jobs in the coal mining sector. The administrations in La Guajira and Cesar, still stuck in the old political mindset, are failing to develop economic plans that generate the same number of job opportunities in other productive sectors.

The achievements we have witnessed today with these groups of men and women during this event allow us to affirm that we are on the right track. Sintracarbón will continue to promote this policy to as many people as possible, always with the people, the region and better social conditions for our regions in mind."

A pact for a just energy transition

At the same event, the ministry of mines and energy, the ministry of labour, the ministry of the environment, the national learning service (SENA), CONTE and the trade union organizations signed the Grand Pact for Labour and Productive Restructuring.

This is a government commitment developed in collaboration with workers, trade unions and communities to consolidate a just energy transition that protects jobs, drives economic diversification and strengthens governance in mining regions.

The Grand Pact forms part of the Colombian government's just energy transition strategy to ensure that no worker is left unprotected during mine closures and decarbonisation processes. To this end, the comprehensive model for labour and productive transition comprises three instruments:

• Decree 0742 on Mine Closures (issued on 15 July 2026),
• a public policy on labour protection in the face of decarbonization processes
• the energy transition and the technical guidelines for the development of labour skills for green growth.

Through these measures, the Colombian government aims to ensure that the closure of the mines does not merely mark the end of an economic activity, but rather the beginning of a transformation based on labour justice, social dialogue and the creation of new opportunities for mining communities.

IndustriALL Latin America regional secretary, Marino Vani, said:

"We congratulate the leadership of Sintracarbón. These advances represent much more than a regulatory victory: they are the result of years of collective struggle, organization and commitment by workers in the mining sector in Colombia.

The losses, the social and environmental impacts, and the burdens arising from mining activity cannot continue to fall, as has so often been the case, on the shoulders of the workers and the affected communities.

Today we celebrate this step forward, but we also know that every right we have won must be defended. That is why we must remain united, organized and strengthened within our trade union to ensure compliance with this decree and prevent future governments from rolling back these achievements. Similarly, it is essential that we remain vigilant, mobilized and committed to demanding that companies respect and implement these advances.

The struggle of those who defend justice continues. Let us continue to forge that path together."