“As a government, we support this measure by Codelco,” declared the Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, emphatically, commenting on the decision of Codelco’s board of directors to proceed with the scheduled closure of the Ventanas smelter as a result of its impact on pollution levels. environment in the area of Quinteros and Puchuncaví, Valparaíso Region.
Minister Rojas recalled that the contamination in Concón, Quintero and Puchuncaví “has dragged on for decades”, which makes it necessary to cease operations and replace them with a smelter that incorporates state-of-the-art technology.
“We have seen how children and adolescents have become ill in their schools. Poisoning and environmental damage are unacceptable,” said the Minister of the Environment, who later stated that the priority of the Government of Gabriel Boric is “the health and dignity of people. The evidence is clear, Codelco contributes more than 60% of the annual emissions of sulfur dioxide, which come mainly from the foundry in the area. This is a component that is harmful to people’s health,” she added.
Regarding the threats of the workers grouped in the Federation of Copper Workers, who called for a strike in all Codelco divisions, Maisa Rojas maintained that “we do not forget the workers, combating pollution requires a transitional approach fair socio-ecological and that decisions on environmental and health matters are not paid by the same as always. There is coordinated work to reach a solution together with the workers.”
“This is a historic breakthrough, but not the ultimate solution. We will continue working to increase environmental demands. All public and private companies must improve their operating standards. We will deal with air, water and also the soil. Our priority as a Government is to put life at the center”, he added.
Meanwhile, the undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, acknowledged that it was a complex decision since “no government aspires to close a productive source, but governments have obligations and in this case the commitment is not to have sacrifice zones. We are facing a territory where we had to stop schools to protect children’s health, that is not possible to allow.”
And the workers? Monsalve was as categorical as the Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, and President Gabriel Boric, who called for an end to the “sacrifice zones.”
“No one is going to be left without a source of employment, in addition there will be government initiatives in matters of compensation. People and workers must be protected, in both areas there is a public and clear commitment”, while calling for “not to speculate” because “the Government made a decision regarding a sector. That sacrifice zone and in the particular case of the foundry, the decision has been made there, there is no other.”
Who has expressed her rejection of the initiative was Senator DC Ximena Rincón, who, through her social networks and despite clarifications from the authorities, criticized the lack of protection in which workers are left. “President maintains that the closing of Windows is for environmental and decontamination reasons. What is not understood is that hundreds of workers are left adrift and without certainty about their future,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Millions opted for a different government, they expected a President who would roll up his sleeves and go to the field to talk to the workers and empathize with them. But it has not been like that, they feel abandoned! We are not against the environment. We are against doing things wrong,” he added.
