SANTIAGO – Workers at the world’s largest copper mine made landmark progress in their ongoing labor dispute, winning thousands of dollars in bonuses and higher wages for unionized members.
The Escondida mine, located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, will pay each of its workers a bonus of US$25,340, give them a 5 percent raise, increase their health and education benefits, and provide easy access to up to US$6,339 in loans. The union, which has roughly 2,250 members, voted to accept the offer with a 72 percent yes vote. The union contract was set to expire Dec. 5. Continue reading →
1: The Chilean accent
2: Missing Mexican food/Indian food (for Brits)
3: Past/Future weekend trips
4: The weather
5: Brett Favre
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Hello dedicated reader base (those of you who are still around)! I am alive.
I emerged from a whirlwind trip through Peru, only to emerge into two weeks of tests and essays, and I promised myself that I would not take the time to update until I had finished my work and hit another temporary lull in the school schedule.
So here I am, a bit battered and bloody from a week with three essays due (2 8-pagers and one 4-pager, in Spanish), and after procrastinating a bit more, I’m forcing myself to do some writing before I can go to bed.
In the interest of time, I think I’m going to streamline several topics that could certainly warrant full posts, and I’m going to hold off on pictures until I have way more time for that. The WordPress upload system is fine, but does not lend itself to big albums or slow connections. Also, I’m going to talk about Peru separately.
• I had the opportunity to cover the presidential debate here in Chile for the Santiago Times, which was pretty amazing. I’ve pretty much taken over the politics beat for the paper, so my editor got me and Kendal (photographer) press passes to go. I got to sit in the section for “Accredited Press” near Continue reading →
Regional Independent Party President And MEO Reached Mutual Support Agreement
Independent presidential candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami (MEO) added to his growing list of supporters the president of the leftist Regional Independent Party (PRI), Jaime Mulet.
The independent presidential candidate, a former Socialist Party deputy, reportedly struck a deal with Mulet to win his support in exchange for Enríquez-Ominami’s endorsement of Mulet’s senatorial run in the Atacama Region (Region III).
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Report By Argentine Press Is Untruthful, Says Independent Presidential Candidate
A week after Chile’s presidential candidates traded blows in the first televised debate, independent candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami (MEO) finds himself in another game of ‘he-said, she-said.’
As part of a whirlwind tour of meetings with Latin American leaders, the independent candidate had dinner with Argentine political columnist Carlos Pagni of Argentina’s “La Nación” newspaper early this week. During the dinner, as Pagni wrote for Tuesday’s issue, Enríquez-Ominami was asked whether his supporters would go to center-left candidate Sen. Eduardo Frei in the event that MEO did not make it to a second-round runoff vote mandated by Chilean election law.
Forestry Giant Arauco Has Stopped Its Production Nationwide As Strikers Block Site Entrances
(Ed. Note: Since this article went to press, Arauco has struck a deal with the strikers until Oct. 6.)
Forestry production has been shut down throughout the country in response to strikes from subcontractors resulting from wage disputes with service companies contracted by parent forestry company Arauco.
Arauco, owned by the powerful conglomerate Angelini Group, employs 34,500 people subcontracted through a holding company. The subcontracted workers, part of the Confederation of Forest Workers, have been fighting for an increase in their base salary wage to $250,000 Chilean pesos (US$458), along with monthly bonuses, and have asked the parent company Arauco to step in and help the negotiations.
Hey.
Hi.
What’s up?
Not too much, you?
Not a lot, kinda full from lunch. Do you like lunch?
Lunch is good. How ’bout them Niners?
I know! Damn.
Yeah, really.
INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED.
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Tagged Deborah Solomon
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