Chile, known for its vast copper deposits, is joining the search for cobalt amid soaring demand for a metal that’s mostly mined in the politically risky Democratic Republic of Congo, which holds 60% of the world's reserves.
The main union at Chile's Caserones copper mine said on Monday that both sides had agreed to extend government mediation of labor talks until Thursday.
Like the Soviet Union in the 1970s, China is coming to the end of a long labor-force boom and hoping that an orgy of investment will keep the old magic going while stabilizing its fraying frontiers.
Four of the five labor unions representing workers at the El Teniente copper mine in Chile have accepted the latest contract offer from state mining company Codelco.
