According to the company, mine has begun a staged restart but the Agrarian Council of Carrizalillo said the community and company did not reach an agreement.

The new contract will run until November 2023.

The Mine Union rejected a topped-up offer from the firm in early November, prolonging a strike which now stands at 36 days.

The company requested the Labor Ministry convene an arbitration tribunal to solve a dispute with its largest workers' union and lift a more than 70-day strike.

Gold price tumbles on covid vaccine breakthrough; UK court blocks lawsuit against BHP over Brazil dam burst; Alrosa’s pink diamond sets new record price at auction

The latest spat comes two months after Albemarle locked horns with Chilean nuclear agency CCHEN over reserves data.