The agreement struck with port workers in Chile that ended a 23-day strike could cost the state around $60m in retrospective bonus payments dating back to 2005.
Around 12,000 workers will be eligible, since not only the 6,000 workers that actually went on strike will have to be paid, but also a further 6,000 employed by the industry as a whole.
For its part, Puerto Central, one of three operators located at San Antonio port, believes it has lost $2.5 million as a result of the strike. This is not only linked to the back payments it will have to pay the workers, but also takes into account lost traffic.
At San Antonio, the strike began on January 3 and only ended on January 25 following government intervention. The strike paralysed operations on Costanera Espigón, which was granted as a concession to Puerto Central. Following the resolution of the conflict, the terminal operator here has to pay each worker a lump sum of $2,705.
