Peru miners protest over planned closures

Mine workers took to the streets of Lima on Monday to call on the government to resolve the conflicts that have paralyzed operations at the Las Bambas copper mine.

Through its subsidiary MMG Limited, the Chinese state-owned giant Minmetals warned that it would suspend production this week due to the conflict with neighbouring communities that allege contamination of their crops.

Because of the blocades 9-thousand employees will be fired, said General Secretary of Las Bambas Mining Workers Union, Erick Ramos during the protest.

Dialogues between the mining company and the sectors claiming to be affected began on Monday.

According to the government, Peru is the second-largest copper producer globally and Las Bambas is the fourth-largest producer of the red metal.