Chilean copper workers confirm strike due to closure of smelter

Santiago de Chile, Jun 22 (Prensa Latina) The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) on Tuesday confirmed a strike slated for Wednesday with the participation of some 50,000 people, before the official announcement of the closure of the so-called Ventanas Smelter in Valparaiso.

June 22, 2022
CDT00:30 (GMT) -0400

Published by: Aleynes Palacios Hurtado

The purpose of the strike is not only to reverse the decision, but also to procure investments so that Chilean copper continues to be smelted and refined, the leader of that organization, Amador Pantoja, declared in a video.

For his part, President of the so-called Sindicato Turnados de la División Ventanas, (Shifted Union of the Ventanas Division), Manuel Araya, confirmed the strike alongside colleagues from all groups of the state company and the support of 56 unions.

The National Copper Corporation (CODELCO), considered one of the largest on the planet, ordered the closure of the Ventanas Smelter due to pollution events in the so-called Quintero-Puchuncavi cordon in that area.

Since Friday, a board of directors of that company has been preparing the conditions for the cessation of operations of this copper-producing smelter after reports of several cases of poisoning in recent weeks.

CODELCO has seven percent of global copper reserves, contained in world-class deposits, and is the second largest producer of molybdenum, with a 10 percent share.

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