Due to disagreements, informal miners in Peru have suspended talks with the government.

One of the leaders of the protest said that informal miners in Peru may resume their protests if they cannot reach an agreement with the government.

Maximo Franco, the union leader of CONFEMIN, told reporters that the government refused to change a deadline set for August 17th, when miners must move explosives to formal "powder magazine" magazines.

He said that 20,000 miner's who could not meet the deadline will be excluded from government program formalizing their work.

The Cusco-based miners had ended their two-week long protest on 15 July, which had blocked an important copper transit route that was used by MMG, Glencore, and Hudbay.

The government is trying to stop the program that was created more than a decade back, which allows informal miners to operate in Peru with temporary permits. The miners claim that the regulations for formalizing their work and operating legally are too strict and will leave them unemployed.

The union is expected to meet within the next few hours to discuss new protests. (Reporting and writing by Marco Aquino, Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Sandra Maler & Tom Hogue).

(source: Reuters)