Chilean copper workers strike today, June 22, to protest the government shutdown of the Ventanas smelter. President Boric backs the decision after hundreds of reports of intoxication from the factory surfaced over the last few weeks. The Codelco workers’ union insists that the closure is an effort to privatize the industry, and that an investment to renovate the factory will resolve its environmental impact.
The Federation of Chilean Copper Workers (FTC) called a national strike, beginning June 22, which aims to reverse the government’s decision to shut down the Ventanas smelter. The facility is run by the state and belongs to the National Copper Corporation, Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer.
Some 50,000 workers are expected to participate in the walkout in Santiago and near Codelco sites across the country. The FTC has not yet commented on the duration of the strike.
After numerous intoxications in recent weeks, Codelco’s board announced on June 17 that the smelter would be closing permanently. The board’s decision came after workers’ unions insisted for weeks that Codelco invest to upgrade the facility. The strike is intended to defend the thousands of jobs Codelco provides to Chilean workers.
The Ventanas smelter is located in the industrial zone of Quintero, where there have been frequent episodes of pollution leading to public health emergencies. As a result, environmental activists often refer to surrounding areas as “sacrifice zones.”
Los trabajadores protestan en la Ruta F-30 en las primeras horas del paro nacional convocado por los de trabajadores de Codelco tras el anuncio del cierre de Fundición Ventanas por la contaminación en las comunas de Quintero y Puchuncaví.
🎥© Leonardo Rubilar/@agenciaunochile pic.twitter.com/WsLTZyGOys
— AgenciaUno (@agenciaunochile) June 22, 2022
As reported by Bloomberg Linea, President Gabriel Boric said that he is confident the decision to shut down the smelter is the right one. This is part of Boric’s plan to move Chile towards greener and more sustainable sources of energy and production.
“Today there are hundreds of thousands of people living in our country exposed to severe environmental deterioration that we have caused or allowed; as a Chilean [it] makes me ashamed,” Boric said.
Environment minister Maisa Rojas, after meeting with Boric on Monday, June 20, to discuss the closing of the Ventas facility, said “the smelter contributes 62 percent of sulfur dioxide, if it stops it will at least lessen the risk of intoxications of that pollutant. It does not solve the whole problem, but it is a step in the right direction.”
The FTC stated the reason for the strike in a tweet on June 20, in which it said the decision is an effort to privatize the company. “Today, President Gabriel Boric’s administration announces the closure of the Ventanas smelter. Tomorrow, the same thing will happen with the other CODELCO facilities,” said the FTC.
#ParoNacional pic.twitter.com/o6ofIWpzy4
— FTC (@FTCobre) June 20, 2022
Though the government does not plan to reverse its decision to close the facility, it has welcomed dialogue with workers. In response, FTC President Amador Pantoja said that the issues surrounding pollution could be resolved with an investment of approximately US$50 million, if that is truly the reason for the government’s decision to close the facility.
In 2021, Codelco produced more than 1.6 million metric tons of fine copper, the largest exported product in the country. Chile is also the largest national exporter of copper, with copper ore and refined copper producing US$21.4 billion and US$14.5 billion for the economy respectively.
Ishaan Cheema is an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary, studying Kinesiology, with a focus on Exercise and Health Physiology. He always had a passion for globalism and political journalism, which he explored through Model UN conferences, debate teams, and several other extracurriculars.