Peruvian miners ended the strike that began last Monday and was set to last indefinitely after reaching an agreement with the Labor Ministry to attend to their demands.

Friday's decision was communicated by the secretary general of the National Federation of Metallurgic and Steel Miners, Luis Castillo, who said that the ministry "responded" to their demands.

Labor Minister Susana Pinilla said, for her part, that one point of agreement is that mining companies not punish the strikers, and called on them to comply with that measure.

She added that the ministry is committed to working out a proposal that would include union participation in determining shift lengths. Additionally, other agreements will be drawn up regarding profit-sharing and miners' pensions.

Pinilla also said that still pending is a solution to demands being made independently by miners at the Southern Copper Corporation – one of the world's biggest copper producers – and at Shougang, although she added that both conflicts are currently being negotiated.

The minister had said Monday that just 5 percent of the mining sector's 120,000 workers had participated in the strike, while the federation estimated the total number of protesters at 35,000.

Peru, one of the world's leading silver, gold and copper producers, has been the scene of several conflicts involving mining companies and Peruvian grassroots protesters, who demand more jobs, regional development and improvements in environmental standards.

The miners' strike heightened the air of social unrest in a week that also saw protests by coca-leaf growers in the country's central region, and by rice and sugar producers in northern Peru.

The Peruvian government, which had already resolved the demands of the rice and sugar sectors, also offered to set aside funds to allow the hiring of teachers in the southern Andean region of Cuzco, where authorities had threatened their own strike to enforce their demand.