Downturn hits Chile's tall tower plans

The Costanera Center was intended to be Chile's tallest building - now it is an empty building site. Most of workers have already been laid off, and the rest are being made redundant next week.

Luis Duran, who is a construction worker on the project, told the BBC how it feels to know he is about to lose his job.

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I'm a worker with the Salfa construction company here at the Costanera Center, I'm 42 years old. I started working on the site in May 2006...

From next week I'm going to be without work, I'm going to one of the unemployed in this country...

I have the job of carpenter here on this project.

This project was one - no, is one - of the most emblematic projects in the country.

I'm proud...that I was among the group of 200 workers who first broke the ground at this site, to lay the foundations of the building.

Little by little, during 2006, 2007 and for much of 2008, our group of workers grew in number, and at one point it reached nearly 4,000 workers.

But today, unfortunately, the crisis has passed the buck on to us - the workers.

Why do I say that?

Because, today there are only around 30 workers still here, with the company.

The future isn't very bright.

I'm going to be without work, I'm going to be one of the many unemployed in this country.

It's the poor people who are paying for this crisis, and it's not fair. It's not fair that the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.

Paying the bills

I live with my son, Oliver, he's 14 years old...

Being out of work is going to be a crisis for me

I have a living room...which isn't very big, but it's all I need to be able to live comfortably.

I'm going to be out of work and for me, personally, this is going to mean a step backwards.

I'm going to have to be very careful with the little money I have from working at the Costanera Center if I'm going to hold on to my home, because I still have another eight-and-a-half years of mortgage repayments, which are 60,000 pesos ($111; £68) a month.

[Then there is the] electricity bill. I have to keep paying it. The water bill. I have to keep paying it. The gas bill. I have to keep paying it. The school bills. I have to keep paying them. I have to feed myself.

Being out of work is going to be a crisis for me that, physically and mentally, is going to affect me, without doubt.