Workers at Chilean Cerro Colorado mine accept contract offer
Source: Hoovers
metalsplace.com
Unionized workers at BHP Billiton Ltd.'s (BHP) Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile received a sweetened contract offer from the company Sunday, and voted to accept it, calling off a strike planned for Feb. 7, a union leader said late Sunday.
"We're still waiting for one last shift to vote Monday morning, but already more than 50% of voters cast their ballots in favor of the new offer," union spokesman Jose Galaz told.
Last-minute talks were held Sunday morning and afternoon, in which the company sweetened its offer to include a 4.8% wage increase and bonuses totaling 6.9 million pesos ($12,600), Galaz said. The mining company has first offered a 2% wage increase, while workers sought a 7.8% hike.
The Cerro Colorado union negotiating the contracts represents about 535 of a total of 700 workers. Current contracts expired Jan. 31.
Last year, BHP was hit with a 25-day strike at its Escondida mine, where workers won a 40-month contract that included a 5% wage increase, a 2.5-million-peso ($4,600) end-of-conflict bonus, a CLP6.5 million copper-price bonus and a CLP2 million interest-free loan, as well as education, housing and health care benefits.
Workers at Cerro Colorado sought similar benefits, despite copper prices tumbling to around $2.50 after Escondida workers negotiated their contracts.
Cerro Colorado produced 90,464 metric tons of copper in 2005, according to data provided by the Consejo Minero mining trade group.
Strikes and other work stoppages have played a major role in sending copper prices higher in the past few years. |
