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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?
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. 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! Tell Renfe, Ineco and other foreign companies to stop participating in the Maya Train!  Thanks for all that you do, UN Mexico rights office criticizes government on Mayan Train, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 19 December 2019. |
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