Venezuela’s San Sebastián works sees production plummet

Invecem’s San Sebastián de los Reyes cement plant in Aragua, Venezuela, has been out of action for three weeks as workers protested regarding wages and the lack of investment in the plant by the state. Output has fallen from 90,000 to 18,000t.

"If we do not have investment, we will not have salary improvement. Most of the equipment and machinery that is damaged come from abroad and the spare parts are imported, but we do not have currency, "said José Carrillo, one of the plant’s workers.

"Our ESPs are not working and when the plant is producing the contamination it is very visible. That worries us because even in office areas we have to use masks for the workers inside the company, which did not happen before, " according to Nelly Mora, one of the employees.

Venezuela’s cement industry output has fallen from 1.1Mt in 2015 to 0.67Mt two years later. In the current year to July, production is at 0.3Mt, with a forecast of 0.43Mt by the end of the year, according to El Pitazo.