Zaida Tecsi. Cuzco
60 days ago, Cuajonea copper mine operated by Southern Peru, ran out of water. The community of Tumilaca, Pocata, Coscore and Tala closed the supply to demand the payment of 5,000 million dollars. In addition, he blocked the railway line that he used to transport the mineral to the Peruvian coast.
After weeks of unsuccessful dialogue, the Executive announced that will recover the Viña Blanca reservoir. The Minister of Labor, Betssy Chávez, justified the decision to protect the lives of 5,000 families living in the mining camp and that they were left without this basic service. “The dialogue can continue, but we must guarantee this service and avoid confrontations between Peruvians,” he said.
The outlook for mining activity is bad in the south. In Apurimac, where it operates MMG Las Bambasdialogue failed. The community members continue to own the land owned by the Chinese capital company. They invaded the site Y the mining company chose to paralyze its operations indefinitely. The workers of both companies announced that they will unite to protest against the Government. They accuse him of inciting the anti-mining protest.
YOU CAN SEE: Council of Ministers approves declaring a state of emergency due to conflict in Cuajone
Cuajone in emergency
In Cuajone, five thousand families live in the camp. Heads of families were left without jobs. Health is at risk due to lack of water, the hospital collapsed and 600 schoolchildren do not go to school.
The Executive published last night that the Mariscal Nieto province, where the copper pit is located, an emergency was declared for 60 days to recover the principle of authority. Minister Chávez argued that the measure seeks to avoid confrontations between the 470 community members and the thousands of Southern workers who threatened to recover the Viña Blanca reservoir by force.
Equally, Prime Minister Anibal Torres He explained that the strikers have some unattended economic claims. “They have an irrational request, 5,000 million dollars, an unimaginable amount,” he pointed out.
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The news represents hope for the mine staff. Jesús Ordóñez, secretary of the workers of Southernsaid they hope that they will return to work today after the publication of the state of emergency, that will reinforce security with the PNP and the Armed Forces. AA. “It is not the solution we were looking for, but somehow it gives us peace of mind. You can’t imagine how we’ve been for almost two months, worse with the anguish that the mine was going to close permanently, ”he said.
According to Ordonez, the mine was considering the possibility of closing. That would generate an affectation for the State of S/ 3,100 million for taxes and royalties, and 8,000 direct and indirect jobs would be lost.
The restoration of activities in Cuajone, if released, could take days. According to Ordóñez, some rails of the blocked railway must be restored, as well as cleaning work. Although the Government has not yet specified how the mine will be released, For the leader, the police and military forces must take control of the water reservoir that supplies the camp.
YOU CAN SEE: Las Bambas: this is how the company informed its workers about the cessation of copper production in Apurimac
Las Bambas does not operate
The company MMG Las Bambas, located in the Apurímac region, paralyzed its copper exploitation operations since yesterday for an indefinite period of time. A week ago, community members from Fuerabamba, in the Challhuahuacho district, invaded the property of the mining company that they claim as their own. “The stoppage of our operations will continue until a viable agreement can be reached, in order primarily to ensure the safety of our workers,” he said in a statement.
Yesterday, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Carlos Palacios, headed a high-level government commission and, together with representatives of the mining company, arrived in the Takiruta area, where the community members spend the night. The attempt to deter the strikers from the invasion was unsuccessful.
The community members insist that their claim is fair and that Las Bambas failed to comply with more than one hundred commitments, including the acquisition of 180 hectares for their agriculture. In addition, they assure that the land where they were resettled is claimed by another community. “We have nowhere to go. We are not anti-mining nor are we protesting for money. That the mine resolves with the communities that have repositioned themselves in Nueva Fuerabamba, if that does not happen, we are not going to get out of here,” said its leader Edison Vargas.
Failure. Meeting in Challhuahuacho did not prosper. Photo: diffusion
YOU CAN SEE: Communards who invaded Las Bambas land: “They will take us dead out of here”
Las Bambas, for his part, assures that 70% of the commitments were fulfilled and the rest is in progress. At the end of the meeting, a document was signed in which some commitments are assumed to restart the dialogue, as long as the mining company and the Government resolve the conflict with the communities of Choaquere and Chila, which have reportedly evicted the fuebambinos. Minister Palacios stayed in the area to attend to this point today.
Erick Torres, secretary of the Las Bambas workers, said he was dismayed, as were the more than eight thousand people who depend on Las Bambas. “We live a situation of constant uncertainty. In the night (yesterday) they will finish moving the personnel. With community members inside the mine, the company cannot do anything but paralyze”, he questioned.
For the leader, the Government contributes to social conflicts by not responding to demands in a timely manner. He accused the National Executive of promoting tension in the country. “There is something dark. see the case of Cuajone, two months old, we too should expect something similar. Why allow this chaos that destabilizes the country, ”he mentioned.
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mining corridor
The community members of the districts of Pallpata, Pichigua, Alto Pichigua, Ocoruro and Condoroma, in the Cusco province of Espinar, mobilized yesterday against the Government and the Glencore Antapaccay mining company. They demand to be declared of direct influence of the Coroccohuayco mining project and to be submitted to prior consultation. Otherwise they threaten to block the mining corridor as part of an indefinite strike. Complying with this request implies the modification of the Environmental Impact Study of the mining project.
The demonstrators pointed out that their measure (yesterday) was preventive and that they will await the arrival of the premier, Aníbal Torres, on April 29. Antapaccay is one of the most important mining companies in the imperial region, generating more than five thousand jobs. His new project could suffer the same fate as Cuajone.
The three mining companies are responsible for 30% of the copper produced in Peru, generating more than 20,000 direct jobs. For the mining consultant César Montes de Oca, the Government must make its mining policy transparent so as not to scare away investors. He said that the impact of each mining company has repercussions on the companies, the workers and the same population that benefits from canon for the execution of works. “In the eight months of this government, Las Bambas suspended its operations up to three times, that is inadmissible,” he said.
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Mining workers unite for their rights
Erick Ramos, secretary of the Las Bambas workers, announced that the unions of Las Bambas and Southern carry out coordination to protest against the Government and its passive attitude towards social conflicts that endanger mining activity in southern Peru. Jesús Ordóñez, from Southern, confirmed the position and said that they will convene the Antamina and Antapaccay unions, also in conflict. Protests are not ruled out. “This situation is recurring, month after month. Stoppages are constant. This pushes us to organize ourselves, this problem occurs in each region”, he mentioned.
No leadership ability
Approach by: Iván Lanegra, Secretary General of Transparency
The current circumstances are a consequence of the unresolved underlying problems in the current project management model that have rested heavily on the behavior of companies, that is, they have been sustained on their ability to reach agreements with communities and provide answers to focal problems beyond the weakness of the State.
YOU CAN SEE: Community that paralyzed Cuajone has a fleet of 4×4 trucks
The State enters only when the problem has been unleashed, and commitments are assumed that they are not in the capacity to attend to or, if they attend to them, they are not capable of carrying out effective follow-up. There are gaps in management capacity, and if it exists, there is no adequate leadership or management capacity. There is no State structure specifically dedicated to dealing with conflicts, because it is sectoral. Regarding the flaws in the Minem, it can be said that it rains it pours, although the aforementioned problems already existed before, but with the ineptitude of officials, everything is a disaster. In recent months we have had these situations not only in the Minem, but in several sectors with minimum capacity problems.
