Resumen

MARZOUKA, Marcelo  y  OLIVOS, Francisco. Respect of human rights: the situation of commutant workers in northern Chile. Trab. soc. [online]. 2020, vol.21, n.34, pp.181-190. ISSN 1514-6871.

High spatial concentration in the mining sector and the irregular distribution of qualified workers has required long-distance commuting to satisfy the needs of this industry. The special conditions encountered by commutant workers may imply disadvantages and a potential source of violation offundamental human rights. This research explores the narratives of the commutant workers’ perception of the large-scale mining in Chile about the advantages and disadvantages of this work modality, and about the respect to their rights in the large-scale mining industry in the north of Chile. We explore individual cases of workers who work in the Antofagasta Region and reside in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, through semi-structured in-depth interviews, distinguishing according to type of contract and family situation. The results suggest that some rights are promoted and tend to be respected, but there are others (like non-arbitrary discrimination or union affiliation) which have higher risk of violation, in comparation with non-commutant workers.

Palabras clave : rights; mining; commutation; distance.