Chile's Antofagasta seeks to stave off strike at Antucoya copper mine
2019-10-08 09:12:49 [Print]
Chile's Antofagasta negotiated last Thursday with workers in hopes of staving off a strike at its small Antucoya deposit in northern Chile, though union leaders said there had been little progress in discussions.
The government-mediated negotiations follow the union's decision to reject Antofagasta's final contract offer, raising the specter of a strike.
The union's president, Cesar Garcia, said the company had delivered a proposal "the same as the one it had previously offered." "That's no way to reach an agreement," Garcia said.
The talks at Antucoya, which in 2018 produced 72,200 tonnes of copper, are set to continue for five days. The parties may then request an extension of negotiations.
The union of supervisors at Antofagasta's larger Los Pelambres mine, which produced 370,500 tonnes of copper in 2018, also recently rejected a final contract offer. Union leaders there told they expected the company would seek a government-mediated negotiation.
The government-mediated negotiations follow the union's decision to reject Antofagasta's final contract offer, raising the specter of a strike.
The union's president, Cesar Garcia, said the company had delivered a proposal "the same as the one it had previously offered." "That's no way to reach an agreement," Garcia said.
The talks at Antucoya, which in 2018 produced 72,200 tonnes of copper, are set to continue for five days. The parties may then request an extension of negotiations.
The union of supervisors at Antofagasta's larger Los Pelambres mine, which produced 370,500 tonnes of copper in 2018, also recently rejected a final contract offer. Union leaders there told they expected the company would seek a government-mediated negotiation.
Copper Conc. TC 25%min CIF China
Unit:USD/mt
China copper concentrate producers' output statistics by province by month
Unit: mt
