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Dock workers in Chile end a strike which has damaged the export economy

Dock workers in Chile have agreed to end a crippling strike over pay. A spokesman for the dock workers, Sergio Vargas, said they would return to work on Sunday, Jan. 26 after signing an agreement with the port operators. He said they had settled on a one-off payment for half-hour meal breaks that had not been paid since 2005. The strike, which began at several ports on 3 January, has cost millions of dollars in damages to Chile's fruit and vegetable export sector. "The managers (port operators) have signed (the agreement)," Mr Vargas told CNN Chile. "It was a long fight for dock workers in Chile. It's a great victory. We're going back (to work)." Early on Saturday, Jan. 25 the government reached a deal with union leaders, yielding to demands for retroactive pay for the past nine years.