Workers of the mina Cuajone from Southern Perú in Moquegua warned that they will confront the community members who keep a dam blockeda forceful measure that has had them without water for about 50 days and that is making the operation in the mining camp unviable.
On Wednesday, the workers issued a statement with an ultimatum against the community members in which they gave 24 hours “for the water to reach Cuajone or there will be consequences.”
Furthermore, they criticized the inaction of the central government to solve this situation that affects the workers and their families, who have not had water for several weeks.
“We have mobilized and will continue to mobilize due to the desperation of our families and the cries of our children, due to the need to work, because it has already been two months of indifferent rocking that we know will continue to prolong without requiring them to return the vital resource “says the statement.
For more than 50 days, the communities of Tumilaca, Pocata, Coscore and Tala, from Moquegua have taken the Viña Blanca water reservoir from the mina Cuajoneowned by the miner Southern Perú Copper Corporation. Given this situation, Raúl Jacob, Vice President of Finance of the company, said that if a solution to the current situation is not found, the mining company is threatened with suspending its economic activities in the area.
“It is possible, but we do not want to do it, but maintaining this situation is unfeasible in the short term and therefore it is important and I insist that the communities reflect,” he told News Extension from RPP the last Monday.
In Wednesday’s statement, the workers warn the government that if their basic rights are not restored “within 24 hours, the working masses and their families will mobilize to the Viña Blanca dam to release the water with our own hands.” .
One more day of truce
workers of Cuajone They were getting ready this Thursday to go to the Viña Blanca reservoir. In a video uploaded to Facebook by a member of the union, harangues were heard about his intention to go up to the reservoir, taken by the community members, and open, at any cost, the water valve from which he is supplied Cuajone.
“We are ready to go up, we are prepared” they said in reference to their warning to confront, if necessary, the community members.
Javier Tarrillo, an official from the Secretary of Social Management and Dialogue of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) arrived in the area and asked the workers for patience and to wait a few hours, while a dialogue between the Government and the communities ends that they have control of the reservoir that, according to what he said, was being carried out this Thursday.
“Right now a meeting is taking place in the community to see the issue of lifting the force measure, await its response,” he said and assured that whatever the result of the meeting, the Government would take measures to restore the Water.
Tarrillo’s request was not well received by the workers, who insisted loudly that the water supply be fixed this Thursday. However, they later agreed to wait the requested time, but with the warning that they would comply with their announcement of recovering the reservoir by force, if the problem persisted.
In addition to the severe problem that families of Cuajone With the lack of water, the workers denounced that due to the impact on the mining operation, the company has laid off some 40 employees, and that workers hired by companies that provide external services to the mine have also lost their jobs.
According to a source from RPP Newsthe company Southern Perú He affirms that he is unaware of the forceful measures being taken by the mine’s unions, but they indicate that they have made repeated calls for calm to the workers.
Southern Perú has reported that the seizure of the reservoir endangers the life and health of the more than 5,000 workers and their families, who live in Cuajone and that it is necessary for the communities to abandon the measure of force in order to later find solutions through dialogue .