BHP's Escondida Copper Mine Faces Strike Over Stalled Negotiations

Workers at BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile will begin a strike on Tuesday after failing to reach a deal with the company. With about 2,400 workers represented by the union, the strike comes after unsuccessful government-mediated talks. BHP is implementing a contingency plan to manage the strike.

The workers at BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile are set to strike beginning on Tuesday, according to a statement from their union. The announcement comes after five days of government-mediated talks failed to produce any substantial progress. The strike will commence at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Tuesday.

The union, representing approximately 2,400 workers at the world's largest copper mine, emphasized that every reasonable effort was made to reach an agreement. However, these attempts were unsuccessful. The union has instructed all its members to adhere to the strike instructions. BHP, on the other hand, has implemented a contingency plan to mitigate the impact of the strike, noting that it was not prepared for the union's new set of demands introduced on the final day of negotiations.

According to BHP, during the mediation, the company proposed four solutions addressing the union's concerns. However, the union presented additional demands at the last minute. BHP maintains that their workers' contracts are among the best in the mining industry. The workers are demanding 1% of the mine's dividends to be distributed equally among them. BHP owns a significant stake in Escondida, alongside Rio Tinto and JECO Corp.

(With inputs from agencies.)