Union at Chile Lomas Bayas mine far from deal with Glencore
SANTIAGO – Unionised workers at Glencore's Lomas Bayas copper mine, in Chile, rejected a final contract offer and began government-facilitated mediation on Thursday to avoid a strike, the union said, adding that they were still far from agreement.
Union president Pedro Valdivia said workers agreed to lay down tools on January 10 if no agreement was reached during the mediation.
New labour laws and rising copper prices have emboldened miners throughout Chile, the world's top producer of the red metal.
"The atmosphere is tense. For now, we're far from reaching a deal," Valdivia said in an interview.
Glencore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A 105-member union at Teck Resources's Quebrada Blanca mine walked off the job for a week last month.
In late November, workers at BHP's Escondida mine, the world's largest, also put down their tools for 24-hours following layoffs there.
Chile's National Mining Society (Sonami) has said more than 30 pending negotiations over expiring workers' contracts in 2018 could curb output if strikes continue to hit the sector.
Lomas Bayas produced 67 000 t of copper between January and October of 2017.
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