Peru mining unions call for nationwide strike

Peru mining unions call for nationwide strike
Peru's largest federation of mining unions said it has agreed to call a nationwide strike starting on March 15, to protest mounting job cuts and to pressure Congress to lift caps on profit sharing.

Posted: Monday , 02 Feb 2009

LIMA (Reuters) -

Peru's largest federation of mining unions said over the weekend it has agreed to call a nationwide strike starting on March 15, to protest mounting job cuts and to pressure Congress to lift caps on profit sharing.

Peru is the world's top producer of silver, No.2 in copper and zinc, and often ranks fifth in gold output.

The strike date was set at a membership meeting of the National Federation of Mine and Steel Workers, Peru's biggest organization of mining unions.

"The strike has been approved for March 15," Luis Castillo, the group's head told Reuters in a phone conversation.

Mine workers are upset by job cuts spurred by the global economic crisis, which has slammed prices for most of Peru's metal exports, the government's largest revenue source.

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