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Community conflict and blockades have been a recurring problem over the last two years, but in 2015 the number of blockades has spiked considerably.

The USO says it had nothing to do with a recent attack at the Rubiales and Quifa fields that left infrastructure damaged and vehicles burned, and called for a peaceful dialogue.

Showcased as one of the strategies to mitigate the impact of the fall in oil prices on producing regions, oil firms, in conjunction with the Canadian government, have invested in seven initiatives that generate opportunities for the agribusiness worth a total of US$76.2M.

Ecopetrol invests in Putumayo, Norte de Santander while the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar) was accepted into the Global Compact. These and other stories on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in our periodic summary.

Workers for the contractor Serpetec have been striking for 15 days, claiming their employer owes them several months’ salary. The workers have scheduled a rally in the Casabe field.

Ecopetrol contributed to education and infrastructure in La Huila while supporting cultural identity projects and environmental preservation in La Guajira. These and other stories on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in our periodic summary.

In a visit that included the Casanare governor Marco Tulio Ruíz, the royalty investment coordinator of the National Planning Department Camilo Lloreda made a visit to different projects that have been funded by royalties, and said he was left with “a very good impression”.

A study that included 105 companies in the Barrancabermeja and surrounding region found that there has been an increase in local hiring in general, with residents filling 76% of the positions in various industries.

The Meta Department government has frozen more than half of its planned spending on projects that were to be funded by royalties as it prepares for a significant decrease in royalty funds in the next years. This and other stories in our periodic roundup of royalty related issues.

Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP) former employees who lost their worker contracts back in February wrote an open letter to Ecopetrol president Juan Carlos Echeverry, charging that the NOC has been violating the law by outsourcing labor.