Workers union peaceful demonstration draws most attention
For Empresas AquaChile, the processing plant of their filial company Aguas Claras S.A. has become a rambunctious child that refuses to cooperate. Of the original 625 worker union members, 500 are still putting up a strike, over 40 days long, and have left the plant semi-operative with less than 300 non-union or union drop out workers. Early on in the worker union conflict, protesters were so aggressive that the processing plant called for a legal lockout for 30 days. During that time protesters performed unbelievable feats such as seizing salmon farms and putting up highway blockades to prevent fish from reaching alternative processing plants. Having discovered that such extreme (and illegal) tactics were causing more resistance from the company and political problems for themselves, the union recently changed its demonstration strategy in order to win over the public sector. In their best form of protest yet, workers set up a salmon processing line in Puerto Montt's downtown street mall to show the public their abilities of filleting, skinning, pin-boning, knife sharpening and elaborating sushineta, kirimi, harami, and other value-added cuts. Passers-by watched in fascination and bought up fresh cuts of salmon as fast it came off the processing line. No one asked (and no one told) where the salmon came from. The union leaders announced that the union would hold demonstration at this week’s Aqua Sur Trade Show to draw international attention to the labour force issues in Chile.
