The miners were first trapped on August 5, 2010, at the San Jose mine, and were unable to contact authorities for 17 days. At that time authorities managed to break through to the men. They were rescued in mid-October.
The lawsuit is not about the money, according to the miners. Instead, it is about setting a precedent so that such an incident does not happen again. It is also, the miners said, not made against the president, Sebastian Pinera, whose team coordinated the rescue, miner Omar Reygadas said, speaking for the group. Instead, it was a lawsuit aimed at the state in general, for allowing the conditions that led to the disaster.
In fact, on the same day that the lawsuit was filed, Reygadas and four other miners went to the presidential palace to invite Pinera to attend a Mass and observance of the year that has passed since the accident. They are, Reygadas said, still very grateful to Pinera for his leadership during the rescue operation, which Pinera has previously said cost the country between $10 and $20 million.
The lawsuit accuses the government agency that oversees mining of failing to ensure safety. "This lawsuit is only to set a precedent so this won't happen again. It's so that conditions improve." The miners are seeking $541,000 each. Some miners, however said they were unaware of the exact amount until they read about it in the media.
Despite assertions that the money wasn't the goal of the lawsuit, many of the miners would find the money helpful. Reygadas said "There's a myth that us miners have a lot of money, but that is not the truth. For us to have become millionaires, we would have had to find a jackpot of gold inside the mine and brought it up with us." In fact, a "majority" of the miners have money problems, "some more than others."
While the miners received donations and assistance that totaled to more than $17,000 each, he said, and some have been able to add to that with income from public speaking, most have not been able to work since the mine incident because of psychological issues.
The all-expense paid trips around the world that the miners received in the aftermath of their rescue did not add any money to their wallets, he added. The miners didn't make money off of them.
A spokesman for the Chilean government was not available to comment on the lawsuit.
Source: http://www.huliq.com/3257/31-out-33-rescued-chilean-miners-sue-government