President Alvaro Uribe Vélez moved to liquidate the State Mining Company of Colombia, Minercol Ltda., through Decree 254 of January 28, 2004 - at the same wiping out its employees' union Sintraminercol and clearing the way for the wholesale turnover of the exploration, exploitation and administration of mineral, energy, and public resources to multinational corporations.

The decree is part of a broader policy of privatisation of Colombian natural resources and services, the elimination of trade unions and the violation of rights of expression, of collective bargaining, and of unionization which includes military and paramilitary threats, summary executions, arbitrary detentions, threats and assassinations.

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