The protesters, who work as security guards at Cerrejon, had blocked the 150-km railroad because they were angered by upcoming job losses resulting from an expiring third-party contract. Cerrejon thanked the government for helping establish dialogue with the demonstrators, which helped reestablish the coal transportation route to Port Bolivar. The company said that it agreed to work jointly with the protesters to find solutions for security guards who would lose their jobs after current contracts for security provision expire, without providing specific details of what this might entail. Cerrejon currently employs 1,000 security guards to protect one of the world’s largest open-pit coal mines.

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