Conflict in Cuajone: workers give 24 hours to restore water

The workers of the mining center Cuajone from Southern Peruin Moqueguastated in a public statement that they give a period of 24 hours for the water supply to be restored, taken by the peasant community of Tumilaca, Pocata, Coscore and Tala for a month and a half.

The Southern Peru union claims to be “fed up with the government’s rocking” before a population of 5,000 people who live in the mining camp, who continue to lack water due to the social conflict.

On Tuesday, April 12, the Executive held a meeting with representatives of the Southern Peru mining company and the peasant community, in which a memorandum of agreements was signed for the installation of a dialogue table. If there is agreement by the parties with the text of the resolution that makes up said work table, the force measures would be lifted.

LOOK: Cuajone remains uncertain

However, for the workers of Cuajone, said agreement is far from materializing since the draft of the resolution still has to be approved by the 3 parties: the PCM, Southern Peru and the peasant community.

“We are going to have to wait how many more days. Our affiliates no longer believe us. We are no longer responsible (for any act of violence) ”, he pointed out to Peru21 Javier Acosta, representative of the workers’ union of Southern Peru.

The Southern Peru union was present today at the session of the Energy and Mines Commission of Congress, where they expressed their concern about the lack of clear and specific solutions to resolve the conflict. “To date, the authorities have dialogued, but they have not intervened to restore order and guarantee the safety of our 1,300 workers and their families,” they specified.

Likewise, they asked the congressmen for the timely support of the authorities in order to avoid the closure of the mine and the economic consequences for the country. “If we close one year, the State would stop receiving more than S/3.1 billion in taxes and royalties, and 8,000 direct and indirect jobs would be lost. That is what we want to avoid.”

Since February 28, community members from Tumilaca, Pocata, Coscore and Tala have blocked the Viña Blanca water supply and railway, thus preventing the activities of the Cuajone mine. Consequently, more than 5,000 people, including workers and their families, are deprived of regular water service and work at the mine is paralyzed. Added to this is that Southern Peru is contemplating the closure of its operations in the area.

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