[miningmx.com] — WORKERS at the world’s No. 3 copper mine, Chile’s Collahuasi, put down their tools over unmet labour demands on Saturday, compounding worker unrest as a strike at top global copper mine Escondida entered
a ninth day.
Workers at Collahuasi voted to strike for 24 hours and will end the stoppage on Sunday, union leader Cristian Arancibia told Reuters. Other leaders said earlier the
stoppage could be extended if the company did not address their demands.
Repeated labour action in top copper producer Chile has fueled supply worries and spurred global copper prices.
Escondida, majority owned by BHP Billiton, extracts 7% of the world’s copper, while Collahuasi accounts for 3.3%.
While markets fear a contagion, the strike at Collahuasi, owned jointly by Xstrata and Anglo American, appeared to be an isolated example – unions at other mines
said they have no plans for immediate stoppages.Collahuasi mine operator said it continued to operate with workers who did not join the action.
Workers at the mine said many employees disagreed with the union call for labour action, signaling internal rifts.
Still, union leaders said most workers are angry over the way their production bonuses are calculated and believe they should be larger.
“This is our first warning,” said Arancibia, who is also the head of a 11,000-strong federation of unions at private mines. “Collahuasi and Escondida show that miners in Chile are ready to fight for their rights.”
