Posted by International Alliance of Waste Pickers
Written by REDNICA
Region Latin America
July 05, 2013
“Don’t leave these families without work. Peace, Solidarity, Support us.”
Text and photos: REDNICA
July 3
Compañeros/as of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Waste Pickers (Red Lacre), in this very moment we are living through one of the biggest violations of our right to work as waste pickers, as the municipal landfill company Chureca de Managua has displaced us from our workplace which for decades provided us with solid waste, our source of livelihood. Today begins the fight against the privatization and incineration of our treasure, our source of work!!! This is a fraternal call to Red Lacre to join in the struggle, a struggle that belongs to all of us, because what affects one, affects all of us! For the dignity of our livelihoods!
Update from David Narvaez, of Red Nica: 245 waste pickers (recicladores) were evicted by the municipal waste company and were kept from working in the landfill where we collected the materials to survive. We have been sharing photos on facebook at Red de Emprendedores Nicaragüenses del Reciclaje and a video on Youtube where you can see we were treated violently by the national police, who sprayed us with tear gas and detaining two waste pickers. One waste picker leader was detained on July 4 who was supporting us by organizing members of the waste pickers’ cooperative “Cooperativa La Chureca Guardabarranco.”
To close a landfill for technical reasons leaves out the socio-economic dimensions. To take out the waste pickers means to deprive them of their livelihood. There had been previous agreements with the waste pickers to transfer them to new workplaces, before depriving them of access to the landfill.RedNica has been supporting the waste pickers’ fight, bringing them food and support. They are traditional waste picking families based in Managua, Nicaragua and today their livelihoods are being seriously affected because of a poorly thought decision by the authority.
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