BUENOS AIRES (miningweekly.com) – Doe Run Peru and employees at its shuttered La Oroya smelter have yet to reach an agreement on salary payments after a deadline for reopening the smelter passed this week.

After two meetings held on Thursday between workers and company officials, and another emergency meeting among the staff, the workers agreed to grant six more weeks, as an extension until the smelter opens again, to the company and claimed for Doe Run Peru to pay them 100% of their salaries to cover the period that production was halted.

The lead and zinc smelter was halted on June 1 last year, after banks froze lending to the company, which meant it was unable to pay suppliers, which in turn stopped making concentrate deliveries.

According to local media, representatives of DRP offered to pay 67% of the whole salary to the workers during a period of 90 days.

The company is reportedly close to signing a deal with two major international companies, which would allow operations to resume.

However, it says it needs more time for the negotiations and has requested an extension until April 27.

Peruvian newspaper El Correo reported that, although the parties continue to hold talks, the workers have decided to file an amparo action to protect their jobs.

The amparo remedy or action is a legal instrument used to uphold the constitutional rights of individuals.

Employees also arrived for work on Friday morning and 50 police officers were sent to the smelter, to prevent any violent confrontation.

No incidents were reported.

In response to a request from the workers, seven inspectors arrived to assess the premises, and announced that the material on site would be sufficient to restart the operations.

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