LatinNews Regional Monitor: Andean Group - 14 February 2018

Colombia: The Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) umbrella workers’ union has called on the Colombian government and the state-owned oil firm, Ecopetrol, to offer solutions to the current workers’ strikes affecting oil production in the country’s central Meta department, Colombia’s main oil producing area. USO’s call comes as Ecopetrol workers in Meta launched an indefinite strike on 7 February accusing the firm of failing to meet certain contractual obligations over salaries and the employment of local people. Meanwhile on 11 February Ecopetrol denounced that some protestors had set fire to oil infrastructure in the area in an apparent attempt to sabotage operations. Consequently, Ecopetrol announced the suspension of all activity at its Castilla, Chichimene, and CPO-9 fields in Meta for security reasons, resulting in Col$60bn (US$20.6m) in losses according to the firm. Yet USO says that the demands by the protestors in Meta are legitimate and, while it rejects the violent actions carried out by them, it has called for dialogue.  

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