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With low international oil prices, practices that increase costs for companies like the use of intermediaries to place workers are even more damaging since it can be enough to make a project unprofitable.

The Minister of Labor Luis (Lucho) Garzon led a meeting on Wednesday with workers, company representatives and government officials to address to potential impact that labor cuts could have on the oil regions. This is a follow-on to an article we published yesterday.

Already a number of wells have been shuttered for the low price of oil, prompting speculation on how the decline will impact the industry and communities in the short and mid term.

Minister of Labor Luis (Lucho) Garzon has noted the recent announcements of well closures and project cancelations and wants to find a way to prevent unemployment from increasing.

A number of recent announcements of closures of wells in Casanare communities like Maní, Trinidad and Aguazul due to the low price of oil has authorities worried that the impact to local hiring and social investment could wreak havoc on the department.

The USO this week returned to its push to return the Rubiales Field to Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and also alleged that powerful forces are using the low price of oil to restructure Ecopetrol and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) against unionized workers.

Colombia’s national training agency (Sena) will collaborate with Casanare oil operators to offer educational opportunities to youth, Cusiana and Cupiagua communities call on Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) to comply with prior promises and Parex has delivered a couple of community centers in Casanare. These and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) says that it has held workshops to train local leaders and residents in 332 municipalities on how to adequately react to an emergency, a program that is now in its third year.

As it promised in its summary of priorities for 2015, the USO has taken a stronger tone against US oil services firm Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), accusing the Company of targeting unionized workers and indiscriminate firings.

A seismic exploration program that kicked off in November in Putumayo has divided the Awa and Nasa indigenous groups, with the later fiercely opposed and the Awa in favor, and led to physical confrontations and a suspension of exploration activities.