Cristián Cuevas: Hunger strike could precede new protests

SANTIAGO.- The president of the Confederation of Copper Workers (CTC), Cristián Cuevas, who has been on a hunger strike to protest against “Codelco´s resistance to fulfill the political agreement” that brought an end to the groups recent demonstrations, has warned that the measure could be the beginning of a new string of massive subcontracted worker protests.

“The hunger strike is a general strike (…) it is a strike to incite people, to serve as a warning and if the political agreements are not fulfilled, then all of the workers will head back to the streets”, the leader told El Mercurio.

“There are millions of workers coming together with us and anything that happens to us is Codelco´s responsibility”, he added.

“The political agreement has not been fulfilled because Codelco refuses to honor the presidential decree and has done everything to the contrary”, explained Cuevas.

The labor leader also claims there have been acts of “repression” against the subcontracted workers after ending the strike saying, “there is a certain police presence, inside and outside, with private security hired by the company”.