More than 40,000 workers from Codelco’s 26 unions began a national strike this day after the government’s move to close the Ventanas Smelter located in the Quinteros slaughter zone. Officials of the state company have taken over all of the company’s divisions.
Video via Twitter @BeizaJoao
Workers from Ventanas began after midnight to carry out intense demonstrations on Route F-30E, where they set up barricades and made traffic cutoffs, continuing their protest this morning.
Video via Twitter @ccuevasz
For now, the Federation of Copper Workers will not participate in the work table that the government will set up, where the problem that was pushed after the announcement of the closing of Ventanas will be reviewed.
From the organization they indicated through their Twitter account that “we thank the sister organizations, which have expressed their support and solidarity with this fight so that Fundición Ventanas continues to fuse wealth and progress for Chile.”
#National Strike
We thank the sister organizations, who have expressed their support and solidarity with this fight so that Fundición Ventanas continues to fund wealth and progress for Chile ??. pic.twitter.com/JGPTbYgzt4— FTC (@FTCobre) June 22, 2022
The workers’ demand is to increase investment to capture the emission of gases that today affect the environment and the inhabitants of the area, and thus avoid the closure of the Ventanas Smelter.
Video via Twitter @LID_Chile