Chile's Los Pelambres copper miners, owned by Antofagasta, rejected the company's recently proposed contract and launched a strike threat.
Los Pelambres' board of supervisors said in a media statement that while the company's proposal seemed attractive at first glance, it did not include all the demands made by the workers and was far from what the leadership and union members expected. "Although Pelambres is the largest contributor to the Group's production, profits and profitability (52%), the company's offer does not give us the same level of recognition and compensation as other AMSA (Antofagasta Minerals) companies and industry peers. In this case, as directors, we took a clear position: rejecting the latest proposal, while calling on our base to vote for the strikes on September 29 and 30."
The union leadership urged workers to attend the plenary session in the last week of September, read the company's proposal in detail, and learn how to vote for the strike.
How the Los Pelambres shutdown will affect Antofagasta's full-year copper production remains uncertain. However, as early as June, the company had already announced that its production may only reach the low end of the previous guidance of 660,000-690,000 tonnes after a series of community-led lockdowns and protests in the Salamarca High Valley.
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