News

Acoforag Joins the Tripartite Roundtable on Forestry Work Safety and Health

Sponsors

• Representatives from Acoforag, CUT, and the Government meet to strengthen occupational safety and health in forestry, in line with ILO guidelines.

In a joint effort to improve safety and health conditions in the forestry sector, the Association of Forestry Contractors (Acoforag), the Unitary Workers' Center of Concepción (CUT), and Government representatives formed the Tripartite Roundtable on Forestry Work Safety and Health. This initiative, responding to recommendations from the International Labour Organization (ILO), aims to establish effective social dialogue for worker protection and the creation of a safe work environment.

During the first meeting, a working methodology and a schedule of meetings for the coming months were agreed upon to address the sector's main challenges and strengthen the National Occupational Safety and Health Policy. Sandra Quintana Rodríguez, Regional Minister of Labor and Social Security, emphasized the importance of focusing on occupational health and safety, acknowledging the difficulties forestry contractors have faced in recent years.

René Muñoz Klock, manager of Acoforag, expressed satisfaction with the recognition of their demands and the seriousness with which the Government has taken the matter. "We value the meeting that was established; I believe our demands are yielding results in terms of achieving the improvements we want for the environment in which our workers operate in rural areas—a difficult and unsafe condition. We appreciate that this issue is being taken seriously; it cannot be that our workers suffer for working, and this is precisely what we addressed in this first meeting. We value the Government's willingness," he stated.

Meanwhile, Jacqueline Herrera Castillo, Vice President of the Provincial CUT Concepción, stressed the urgency of making rapid progress in the working group to ensure worker safety in the macrozone.

The actions and agreements of the Tripartite Roundtable will be evaluated quarterly, allowing continuous monitoring of progress and the possibility of adjusting measures as needed. This collaborative effort marks a significant step toward improving working conditions in Chile's forestry sector and reflects a commitment to international standards of decent and safe work.