Today, the government delivered a document to forestry truckers in La Araucanía outlining the commitments the Ministry of the Interior seeks to adopt with forestry contractors in the area, who have been mobilizing following the escalation of attacks against cargo vehicles in the Southern Macrozone in recent weeks.
After analyzing the new proposal, José Hidalgo, president of the Forestry Contractors Association (Acofarag), told La Tercera that "forestry workers have agreed to end the strike," but noted that the federations of forestry drivers will decide starting tomorrow, Thursday, after informing their members.
This comes nearly a week after the start of the protest, which since Friday has involved truckers in the areas of Villa Los Ríos, Pailahueque, and Angol in the La Araucanía Region, as well as at the Horcones Plant in Arauco Province and the Duqueco sector in Biobío Province.
The document, signed by Undersecretary of the Interior Manuel Monsalve and dated this Wednesday, highlights that the main agreed-upon commitments include expediting the Critical Infrastructure Law, as well as installing thermal cameras, license plate recognition gates, and improved lighting to monitor routes.
Additionally, an increase of $5.5 billion in the Carabineros' budget will be allocated to provide necessary equipment for entering conflictive rural areas. This includes 34 armored trucks for the Biobío and Araucanía regions, as well as the acquisition of state-of-the-art drones with a range of up to 150 kilometers for preventive surveillance across the territory.
Undersecretary Monsalve, in statements to CNN, stated tonight that "President (Gabriel Boric) has mandated us to take a series of measures. All these measures were communicated in writing today to mobilized forestry workers, forestry contractors, and truckers, and we hope they will allow us to reach an agreement, as they demonstrate the government's willingness to improve security conditions."
Earlier in the day, in statements to Radio Biobío, the presidential delegate in Arauco, Humberto Toro, assured that they would "accelerate the Critical Infrastructure Law" requested by truckers and expressed "hope that, based on the agreement reached with the unions, we can have clear routes today."
The document, accessed by La Tercera, also notes that, by order of President Gabriel Boric, the Undersecretariat of Public Works will push for modifications to contracts with concession companies for both Route 5 and Route 160 (Concepción-Lebu) to ensure better security conditions, such as thermal surveillance cameras, license plate reading gates, double lighting, and safe rest areas.
Furthermore, the government commits to delivering a technical proposal within 30 days for a complementary public insurance plan to significantly reduce deductible payments, applicable to events in the Southern Macrozone.
Additionally, it includes a reparations plan for workers affected by rural violence, guaranteeing psychological, social, and legal support through professional teams deployed in Biobío and Araucanía.
Immediate social support will consist of a $250,000 food card for three months, two months of basic utility debt payments, and medication purchases with a medical prescription.
Finally, it is noted that in the event of a worker's death, a lifelong grace pension will be provided to the widow. For workers suffering injuries from rural violence resulting in partial or total disability and lacking social security, the Undersecretariat of the Interior commits to providing a lifelong grace pension, with differentiated amounts for partial and total disability.
Lastly, the government states in the document that it will push for a constitutional reform to ensure road security—through the establishment of intermediate states in the area—by developing a legislative technical proposal and seeking political agreements in Congress within two weeks, enabling its subsequent approval.
Reactions to the Proposal
Earlier in the day, René Muñoz, manager of the Forestry Contractors Association AG, praised the government's proposed agreement, calling it "a significant step forward."
In this regard, he emphasized that "no government had previously put in writing what appears today. It is a major advance for the sector, as well as for workers, because it establishes financial aid. We wouldn’t want deaths, but here is potential support for them. There is also help for affected workers and support for contractors regarding deductibles."
In this context, the leader urged mobilized drivers, stating that "tomorrow (Thursday), we must return to the forest, supply the plants, and we will work with companies on an operational plan for the next 15 days before the law—which was promised here—is enacted."
Source:latercera.com
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