Original article: Unión Portuaria de Chile y Sindicato de Estibadores de Valparaíso exigen respuestas concretas al Gobierno frente al alza de los combustibles y el costo de la vida

Chilean Port Union and Stevedores Demand Concrete Government Action on Rising Fuel Prices and Cost of Living

The port sector continues to press the government of José A. Kast for answers. Following the support expressed by the National Confederation of Port Workers for truckers striking due to rising fuel prices, the Confederation of Port Union of Chile (CUPCh) and the Port Stevedores Union of Valparaíso have also voiced their concerns.

Both organizations demanded «concrete responses» regarding these issues from the Kast administration.

First, the Union of Port Workers expressed solidarity with small transporters «in light of rising fuel prices and the increasing cost of living. As port workers, we are a fundamental part of the national logistics chain and cannot remain indifferent to this crisis.»

«We demand immediate solutions from the Government,» they added, reiterating their readiness «to exercise the right to strike if circumstances require it. We challenge President José Antonio Kast to listen to the demands of the people of Chile,» they emphasized.

In this context, they stated that they are «fully available and organized to assert our right to strike if the situation demands it. With over 6,000 affiliated workers and operational control of 24 port terminals, CUPCh has the strength and real capacity to choke the country’s economy, just as the central government is doing with its apathetic measures.»

Meanwhile, the Port Stevedores Union of Valparaíso recalled that «since the Kast government took office, we have seen a brutal increase in the cost of living and food for all working families in the country.»

«This started with the abrupt and non-gradual elimination of the Mepco (Mechanism for Price Stabilization of Fuels), directly hitting the pocket of the people,» criticized the port stevedores.

«However,» they added, «the government, instead of taking measures in favor of the people, has only focused on reducing taxes for large companies and economic groups through its ‘mega tax reform,’ shifting the burden of this ‘global crisis’ exclusively onto the shoulders of the working people.»

«As a union, we are convinced that now is the time to unite and organize at the national level to stop reforms that threaten the working class and our families. We demand and call for the broadest unity among all union and social organizations centered around a common agenda for defending our labor rights, health, social security, and against the rising cost of living, among other issues,» they stated.

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