El Ciudadano
Unions representing workers at Meridian Mining – El Peñón, located in Chile’s Antofagasta Region and owned by Canadian company Pan American Silver, have issued a statement condemning a series of serious incidents that occurred during recent heavy rains and adverse weather that affected the northern part of the country.
The mine, an underground operation producing gold and silver since 1999, currently reports a production rate of approximately 3,600 tons per day, according to the company.
According to workers, the mining management continued nighttime transportation despite adverse weather conditions, leading to «buses being stranded on the road and workers remaining exposed to wet snow and low temperatures for hours without proper clothing or equipment to handle these conditions.»
«Further complicating matters was the descent transportation, where workers had to navigate roads slick with rain and wet snow, and the experience of night shift staff, who were not allowed to board buses heading back to their cities for a safe refuge from the cold, leaving them exposed at the bus terminal of the operation,» the unions reported.
Additionally, workers expressed concern about internal activities at the site, where staff were called for training amidst heavy rains in facilities that showed signs of water leaks directly above energized electrical boxes, posing a severe electrical hazard that should have been anticipated and avoided.
In their statement, unions asserted that «in meetings held with management during this weather event, we expressly requested to reschedule transportation to protect the safety of individuals. We regret that this request, made on behalf of the workers, was not considered by Human Resources management, who did not even respond to this request.»
«We firmly oppose prioritizing operational continuity over the health and safety of people,» the unions stated, emphasizing that it is «incredible that no appropriate decisions were made to ensure the safety of individuals and that they were instead put at risk in this manner.»
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