‘No more deaths, no more abuse!’ Peruvian protesters demand justice after teen workers die during shift at McDonald’s

Dozens of people picketed a McDonald’s in Lima, Peru, in protest over the deaths of two young employees who died there, purportedly due to unsafe working conditions.

McDonald’s employees and relatives of the deceased held signs reading "Work yes, exploitation no. #McDonaldsNeverMore” and “Fed up with surviving, we want to live!” during a rally on Saturday.

©  Ruptly

Two teenagers, Alexandra Porras, 18, and Gabriel Campos, 19, died last week while cleaning the kitchen at the restaurant. According to Peruvian police, Porras was electrocuted while handling the soft drink machine. Campos was killed while trying to come to her aid. The two had reportedly been saving up money to attend university.

Protesters blame the tragedy on unsafe working conditions at the fast food outlet.

©  Ruptly

Rocio Zapata, Gabriel’s mother, accused the burger franchise of not providing her son with adequate training and equipment – even though he had been working there for six months. She also described the deplorable working conditions that her deceased son had to endure.

I saw the bodies of the guys and the water was everywhere, everything exposed, there was nowhere to even escape from there; they won’t fool me because I have seen it.

All McDonald’s restaurants in Peru were closed for two days to mourn the deaths of the two young employees. Peru’s workplace safety agency said it was launching an investigation to determine whether McDonald’s should be held responsible for the tragedy.

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