John,
We have news from Yucatán, the region where the destructive Maya Train is
being built.
Workers are quitting because of the exploitative working conditions along
the railway: 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, and no Christmas holidays
for workers who have been employed for less than six months.
For a long time, workers have been demanding better working conditions,
but they face strong resistance. Many quit, but there are also many who
cannot afford to do so -- with deadly consequences: Two construction
workers have already died of exhaustion this year.
Those responsible for the Maya train do not want to take any breaks in
construction, because the construction is already five months behind
schedule and further delays are to be prevented -- at the expense of the
workers!
More than 83,000 SumOfUs members have already signed our petition calling
on the rail companies Renfe, Ineco and Deutsche Bahn to get off the Maya
Train -- will you join us?
[ [link removed] ]Tell Renfe, Ineco and Deutsche Bahn to get off the Maya Train and save
the rainforests and respect the workers!
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[ [link removed] ][IMG]
European railway companies are bulldozing the Mexican rainforest -- the
Spanish and German railway companies Renfe, Ineco and Deutsche Bahn
support the Maya Train that threatens the existence of the forests,
animals and indigenous communities.
Sign here to ask them to get off the Maya train!
[ [link removed] ] Sign the Petition
John,
The Maya train is a 1,500 km tourist megaproject that is set to bulldoze
its way through the last remaining forests of Southern Mexico. And
Europe's rail companies are lining up to profit from it.
The Mexican Government is selling it as progress, development and tourism,
but once again it's being forced on Indigenous people of the region
against their wishes.
Communities there know building this project will only lead to an
escalation of the violent attacks they are already suffering. Along with
the forests goes their means of survival -- which is also the home to 2000
jaguars.
Thanks to brave communities taking the Mexican government to court,
temporary suspensions have been imposed on some of the sections of the
railway. Now is the time for us to mount pressure. This is our chance to
get them to abandon the project and save the rainforests of Mexico.
[ [link removed] ]Tell Renfe, Ineco and Deutsche Bahn to get off the Maya Train and save
the rainforests!
Construction of the tracks will destroy 23 nature reserves, passing by
UNESCO World Heritage sites. What makes matters worse is that some
sections of the railways of the train are being built without any approved
environmental assessment -- against national and international standards.
This is no train for the people. It is estimated that 70% of the train's
income will come from the transportation of water-polluting fuels,
soybeans and pork.
International law does not allow projects to be carried out without
consent from the indigenous communities. Even the UN criticised the sham
consultation organised by the Government of Mexico in 2019! We need to be
many to stop the catastrophic effects that this train will have on people
and the planet.
Together, as the SumOfUs community, we have saved many rainforests. We
have bought the parts of the rainforests in Brazil to save the land of the
Tupinambá and strengthen their fight against deforestation by timber
companies -- today we can help save the Mexican rainforests!
[ [link removed] ]Tell Renfe, Ineco and other foreign companies to stop participating in
the Maya Train!
[ [link removed] ] Sign the Petition
Thanks for all that you do,
Ildem, Alys and the team at SumOfUs
[ [link removed] ]UN Mexico rights office criticizes government on Mayan Train, Business
& Human Rights Resource Centre, 19 December 2019.
[ [link removed] ]A Rainforest, Maya Ruins and the Fight Over a Tourist Train, Wall
Street Journal, 12 June 2020.
SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]
