BHP sues union at Spence copper mine over 'illegal' production stoppages, lawsuit shows

​Global miner BHP has sued the workers' union at ‌its Spence copper mine in Chile over two production stoppages that it deems "illegal," a court filing ‌seen by Reuters on Thursday showed.

In ‌the lawsuit, BHP alleges the mine operations were "significantly" affected due to "two illegal work stoppages" in June and ⁠July, ​and ⁠seeks compensation of roughly $8.6 million. The union did not ⁠immediately reply to a request for comment. BHP ​in a statement confirmed it had filed ⁠the lawsuit.

Spence is one of BHP's smaller operations ⁠in ​Chile, where it also runs the giant Escondida mine. Copper mine unions in ⁠Chile often stage strikes, typically during a formal contract ⁠negotiation, ⁠to push for better pay and benefits.