Arauco Protests Reportedly End in Chile

Celulosa Arauco, Santiago, Chile, the forestry arm of Copec, reports that all of its installations have resumed operations after subcontract workers ended 10 days of protests, according to a Reuters news report this past week. A company spokesman said subcontractors had lifted blockades overnight that they mounted to demand higher wages and caused stoppages at the company's plants and sawmills. The protests began in late November when subcontractors blocked 16 of Arauco's 32 installations mainly in the south-central region of Bio-Bio, denying access to thousands of workers. Police gradually cleared protesters from Arauco plants, arresting dozens of subcontractors in sometimes violent clashes, according to Reuters. Arauco said it did not negotiate with the subcontractors, maintaining the demonstrations were illegal, and declined to comment on how much the interruption to operations may have cost the company, Reuters reports.

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