Strikes and protests by employees of Canadian energy form Pacific Rubiales led to a drop in Colombian petroleum production for the month of July, reported finance publication Portafolio Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Mining and Energy, the average output of oil last month was 929,266 barrels per day, less than the 931,000 barrels per day produced in June as a result of the protests by contracted workers in Puerto Gaitan in the department of Meta.
Mines and Energy Minister Carlos Rodado Noriega said that had the disturbances not taken place, Colombian production of crude oil during July would have reached 945,000 barrels a day.
The oil field located in the Eastern Plains is considered one of the most important in the country for its volume of production. Puerto Gaitan in July was the scene of a strike by 3,000 employees of Pacific Rubiales who were demanding better pay and conditions from the energy company.