(30 Dec 2014) Former workers at Paraguay's Itaipu hydroelectric dam nailed themselves to crosses in the capital Asuncion on Tuesday, as part of a protest to demand compensation benefits.
Blood seeped from the hands of the four men and one woman as they lay in front of the Brazilian embassy.
They're calling on the company, jointly owned by Paraguay and Brazil, to award the pension benefits they say the company has denied them.
All were involved in the construction of the hydroelectric facility that is one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
Family members sat, fanning the protesters to keep them cool in the summer heat and giving them water to drink.
Three of the men have been taking part in the unusual protest since December 8 and were joined by the only woman, 52-year-old Rosa Caceres, on December 16.
The latest to join the protest, 71-year-old Pablo Garcete, said he remains "hopeful" they will receive the money.
According to the demonstrators each of the 9-thousand former workers from the Itaipu plant should receive approximately 40-thousand US dollars in benefits.
For its part, the company say the workers were employees of a contracted company and as such the Itaipu dam is not responsible for their welfare.
The demonstrators say the firms they worked for were established under an umbrella group owned by the company and guided by its 'social protocols' and as such continue to lay their claims at the company's door.
A spokesman for the group told the Associated Press they will not rest until the payments have been made.
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