Workers On Strike at BHP's Escondida Copper Mine in Chile

Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A labor union at BHP Group Limited's (Melbourne, Australia) Escondida copper mine in Chile went on strike Tuesday following failed negotiations over the last few weeks. Escondida is the world's largest copper mine.

"We ask all members to follow the instructions in order to carry out the strike in a disciplined manner since this responds to a plan that has been studied in detail from the operational and legal point of view, in addition to projecting a long-term strike," the labor union Syndicate Number 1 said in a statement.

The Escondida mine, which produced 1.05 million tons of copper last year, is owned by BHP (57.5%), Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) (London, England) (30%), and Japanese joint venture JECO Corporation (12.5%).

Syndicate Number 1 of mine workers said in its statement that it was willing to restart negotiations with BHP. But it declared "illegal" BHP's decisions to replace members of the union who are on strike and essential for operations.

The syndicate also said it has credit funds to financially sustain workers and their families for a "very long period."

Reuters cited a statement from BHP suggesting that the mine continues to operate, but it did not provide information about production or the level of operations.

Between February and March 2017, workers at the Escondida mine went on a 44-day strike that impacted the company's finances and the world's copper output.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant Database can click here for the Escondida plant profile.

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