Contractors Stage Protests at Codelco Copper Mines in Chile

Contract workers staged protests at Chilean copper mines today, blocking access roads at operations run by state-owned Codelco, to push for increased job security.

Codelco’s mining operations weren’t affected by groups of protesters, a company official briefed on the matter said by telephone, declining to be named citing company policy. Codelco’s Andina division was “paralyzed” after employees of contracted companies blocked access to shift workers, said Claudio Valenzuela, a spokesman for the contract workers union.