Copper prices have soared to record highs this year, handing unions in Chile additional leverage, ratcheting up tensions in labor negotiations.

Workers at the Andina mine in central Chile rejected owner Codelco’s wage offer, opting instead to begin a strike.

The 135 members of the Salar union in Chile began a strike Wednesday after failing to reach a wage agreement in collective bargaining with management.

The victory marks a rare win for a major new project in Chile, the world's top copper producer.

UK Export Finance also indicated it would increase funding to boost lithium output at the Kachi project,

Brazil’s Mines and Energy Ministry on Monday published details of a new program that would support the coal sector through 2050 in the country’s southern states.

Iron ore price rose on Wednesday, after five straight sessions of losses, tracking steel futures as China's output curbs fuelled worries about supply.

Union will take two more days to submit the new contract to a vote by workers.