Peru: Mine Workers Launch Indefinite Nat'l Strike

On Tuesday, the Peruvian Mining, Steel, and Metal Workers' Federation began a indefinite nationwide strike to demand the repeal of a series of presidential decrees and labor laws that the union says adversely affects its members' rights. The laws allow companies to subcontract workers instead of putting them on payroll with the corresponding benefits, to lay off 10% of their workforce if they claim losses, and to pay 20% of workers' salaries in the form of bonuses to avoid having to provide benefits. While not all workers joined the strike, its impact could be significant as 65% of Peru's GDP corresponds to primary exports of metals such as copper, zinc, silver, and gold. Thus far the government has turned a deaf ear to the strikers' and their demands. Rael Mora reports from Lima. teleSUR