Union at Caserones copper mine in Chile to strike after talks collapse

Caserones copper mine is located in Chile’s arid north, close to the border with Argentina. (Image courtesy of Minera Lumina Copper Chile.)

Workers at JX Nippon Copper’s Caserones mine in Chile will walk off the job beginning on Tuesday after last-ditch talks over a collective labor contract collapsed on Monday, the union said.

The government mediated negotiations had gone nowhere, the union said, prompting its members to agree to the strike.

“It has not been possible to reach an agreement since the company has stated that it has no more budget in this negotiation, and therefore, it is not in a position to deliver a new offer,” the union said in a statement.

Several mines in world top copper producer Chile are in the throes of tense labor negotiations, including BHP’s sprawling Escondia and Codelco’s Andina at a time when supply is already tight, leaving markets on edge.

Caserones produced 126,972 tons of copper in 2020.

(By Fabian Cambero and Dave Sherwood; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *