The Shougang strike is over as of yesterday. Workers at its Marcona iron ore works on the South coast of Peru (specific hole in ground pictured above) had been protesting in a unanimous form since Monday 13th July, so it took 10 days for the Chinese owners to realize they can’t treat people outside China they way they treat their own nationals.
Workers wanted a S/10 per day (approx U$3.30) pay rise and Shougang offered them a raise of S/0.70 (about U$0.25) per day. The workforce quite correctly took that as the insult it sounds like, downed tools and didn’t cave in under pressure. Here’s the final deal:
- A S/3.30 per day rise (approx U$1.10)
- A one-time bonus payment of S/1,300 (approx U$434)
- Meals supplied by the company for workers on duty
- Transport paid for (or partly paid for) by the company.
All in all, I think the Shougang workforce got themselves a good deal. Come the revolution, conmrades……