Chile: Workers of the world’s largest copper producer Codelco go on strike
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The FTC (Federation of Copper Workers) said Wednesday afternoon (22) that operations at state-owned Codelco (Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile) were “completely paralyzed.”
According to a union statement, the closure of the Ventanas smelter is the reason for the strike.
The strike began at dawn with the suspension of activities in various areas of the company. According to the FTC, Codelco’s management tried to demobilize the movement.
It said that the management of the state-owned copper producer demanded that workers begin their work through “unauthorized routes, a situation that endangers the safety and integrity of people.”
In another statement, he accused Codelco management of “sending police forces to repress and arrest union leaders leading the mobilization in their respective work centers.”
In the morning, the government downplayed the strike. Finance Minister Mario Marcel and Codelco President André Sougarret ruled out serious damage to production from the stoppage, according to the Chilean newspaper Diario Financeiro.
“We have taken the necessary precautions to ensure the continuity of operations,” Sougarret said.
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