LatinNews Daily - 27 July 2020

* Protesters in Peru’s Espinar province, in the southern region of Cusco, have demanded compensation from British multinational mining company Glencore, to help local communities cope with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Glencore’s Antapaccay copper mine has faced considerable criticism since operations began in 2012, but the past week has seen renewed protests and even sabotage attempts, adding weight to the central demand that the company pay local communities PEN1,000 (US$284) per person, as compensation for environmental damage and the extraction of resources. Similar protests have been reported elsewhere in Peru since the country’s main mining union (FNTMMSP) called on 21 July for members to prepare to take action in response to the loss of jobs in the mining sector, and to the spread of infection among those still working, due to inadequate sanitary protections. FNTMMSP’s request for a “necessary and urgent dialogue” with the mining companies and the Peruvian government has not yet received a response; negotiations between local authorities in Espinar and the central government broke down last week, with the government insisting that violence must stop before talks can continue.

End of preview - This article contains approximately 183 words.

Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article

Not a Subscriber?

Choose from one of the following options

• Subscribe
• Sign up for a one-time, 14-day trial