© Reuters. File Photograph: A view of the BHP Billiton’s Escondida, the world’s greatest copper mine, in northern Chile, in Antofagasta, Chile March 31, 2008. Image taken March 31, 2008. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File Photograph
SANTIAGO (Reuters) -The union of supervisors at Chile’s Escondida mine on Friday rejected a contract provide from mine proprietor BHP, paving the way in which for a strike, the union informed Reuters, whereas the corporate mentioned it will request authorities mediation.
The proposed contract was rejected with almost 99% of the vote in accordance with the union which counts over 900 members.
In an announcement, the union mentioned it will proceed to hunt its aims, together with “pay will increase, equal pay for women and men, honest fee of bonuses and respect for working hours,” including it will use “all obtainable means to take action.”
The union says BHP is trying to scale back advantages and manufacturing bonuses whereas extending working hours.
The events are set to start a five-day mediation course of below authorities supervision that may be prolonged one other 5 days if the events come near reaching a deal.
BHP mentioned in an announcement one of many dialogue choices was a compulsory mediation earlier than labor inspectors. If BHP doesn’t formally request mediation, the strike would start on Oct. 4.
“The corporate reaffirms its everlasting willingness to dialogue and search an settlement helpful to the employees, that takes under consideration present challenges and long-term forecasts,” it added.
In the meantime, BHP mentioned, the mine will preserve working as regular.
Although the sprawling Escondida mine might proceed to function even when supervisors walked off the job, a strike might result in manufacturing bottlenecks or slowdowns.
Chile’s highly effective Union 1 employee union mentioned it will stand in solidarity with the Escondida supervisors and be sure that no “unlawful replacements” got here on the job within the occasion of a piece stoppage.
Escondida produced 1.05 million metric tons of final yr.
