The Colombian government and the coffee strikers temporarily suspended negotiations on Thursday after having failed to reach an agreement on subsidies for the country’s coffee sector.
MORE: Colombian govt meets with coffee strike reps to broker deal
After more than 15 hours of negotiations on Wednesday, coffee workers said the government’s offer of raising subsidies to $70 per sack was insufficient. Instead, they demanded $102 per sack.
Government representatives said the talks between the parties would resume at 9:00AM on Thursday morning.
Vice-president Angelino Garzon said on Wednesday that the talks would continue until an agreement was reached.
On Thursday, the nation-wide coffee strike entered its eleventh day. Coffee strikers, numbering some 90,000, say they demand greater government subsidies to save Colombia’s most iconic industry. The protests have been marred by reports of violence.
MORE: Colombian authorities prepare ‘arrest warrants’ for coffee strike leaders
Sources
- Gobierno y cafeteros suspenden temporalmente los diálogos (El Espectador)