Vol. 72/No. 27      July 7, 2008

The strike took place as workers and peasants in the southern town of Moquegua set up roadblocks to demand that a greater share of royalties paid by the mining company to the government be spent on the region. Thousands joined the protests, which began June 10, blocking roads, including the main highway to Chile and access to the Cuajone mine and a nearby smelter.

Workers at the Cerro Verde copper mine, owned by U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan, ended a 10-day strike June 20 after the government agreed to negotiate with the union on the workers’ demands on health coverage, overtime, and other issues.

The protests and labor stoppages paralyzed the region, the country’s top producer of copper. President Alan García’s government has come under increasing pressure as the benefits of a six-year economic boom fueled by high gold, copper, and zinc prices have not reached the majority in the country. More than 44 percent of Peru’s population lives below the poverty line.

Peru is a leading global exporter of silver, copper, zinc, and gold.  
 
 
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