March 8, International Women’s Day: Salmon workers demand their rights

The female workers of the salmon industry condemned the «violations of their labor rights, the lack of nursery rooms and daycare centers and the forced negotiations for not applying maternity leave [«fuero maternal»], which increases in periods of massive layoffs after the habitual sanitary, environmental and financial crisis of the salmon industry», during International Women’s Day, the 8th of March.

In the public declaration distributed by the Federation of Salmon Worker Syndicates of Quellón-Chiloé and the National Confederation of Salmon and Mytilidae Workers (Conatrasal), the unions affirmed that the salmon industry in Chile «encourages the self-exploitation and labor overstrain, which is why we present a high prevalence of disabling musculoskeletal diseases associated with extensive work shifts, affecting repetitive manual activities, under conditions of high humidity and low temperatures».

Centro Ecocéanos support the workers of the salmon industry and condemn the transnational companies of Norway, Canada, Germany, Japan and China operating with double standards in social, environmental, work- and gender related matters. «The multinational companies apply the minimums demanded by the week Chilean legislation», Ecocéanos affirmed. An example of the previous being the deaths of 31 salmon industry workers during the period 2013-2019.

The workers of the salmon industry joined the massive marches taking place in Chile, demanding decent, stable and secure work, a new system for social security and health, democratic, secular and non-sexist education, constitutional right to decent housing, a new law of migration, the end of political, sexual and economic violence against women and no more femicides or impunities.