The blockade on the access road to Cerro Matoso in Córdoba reached eight days on March 23, impacting over 2,000 workers and halting ferronickel shipments. The company reports losses exceeding US$1.7 million and rising operational risks. Cerro Matoso urges immediate action from authorities.
On March 23, 2026, the blockade on the access road to Cerro Matoso operations in Córdoba marked eight consecutive days. The company states this threatens operational continuity, shift rotations, and the stability of a key activity for the region and country. The protest links to a miners' strike, but Cerro Matoso and its staff are uninvolved, though over 2,000 workers face labor and mobility rights disruptions. Around 400 people remain at the plant without routine shift relief. Operations suffer severe restrictions: 13 daily ferronickel trucks to Cartagena—over 440 tons—are halted, as are 20 daily mineral trucks (about 1,600 tons) from Queresas and Porvenir in Planeta Rica. Essential inputs are also blocked. Cerro Matoso estimates losses exceeding 120 tons of nickel production, worth US$1.7 million, from interruptions and supply shortages. Nearly 50 goods and services contracts—in transport, metalworking, engineering, and infrastructure—have been partially or fully suspended, affecting regional jobs and family incomes. The firm warns of risks to critical processes, such as furnace operations, potentially damaging infrastructure and safety. It respects peaceful protest rights but deems impacts on uninvolved parties unacceptable. Thus, it calls on national, regional, and local authorities to restore mobility and avert further harm.
