BHP says Chile's copper operations 'normal' despite strike - Reuters

elehrouh.blogspot.com

A view of the BHP Billiton's Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine, in northern Chile, in Antofagasta, Chile March 31, 2008. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/

BHP said operations at the world's largest copper mine Escondida and at the smaller Spence mine in Chile were normal on Tuesday despite a strike by a union representing remote workers.

The 200-member union, which runs BHP's Integrated Operations Center in Santiago, walked off the job on Thursday after failing to reach agreement with management on a labor contract following weeks of negotiations.

Global miner BHP (BHP.AX) subsequently called in substitute workers to keep the mine running, a move the union has contested with Chilean labor authorities.

"Spence and Escondida mines have informed that their operations are continuing normally," the company said in a brief statement.

The strike coincides with a spike in copper prices fueled by soaring demand globally following more than a year of coronavirus pandemic-induced stagnation. The rising prices have given additional leverage to organized labor at Chile's sprawling copper mines.

A separate union of workers at the Spence mine entered a final round of government-mediated talks this week in a bid to stave off its own strike after rejecting the company's contract offer.

The much larger union of on-site workers at Escondida is also set to begin collective bargaining for a new contract in the coming weeks, and have said they were bracing for a prolonged strike.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Adblock test (Why?)

"strike" - Google News
June 02, 2021 at 02:25AM
https://ift.tt/3pc8Egf

BHP says Chile's copper operations 'normal' despite strike - Reuters
"strike" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WheuPk
https://ift.tt/2VWImBB

Bagikan Berita Ini