Largest Copper Mine Union Rejects BHP's Final Offer, Calls for Strike Vote

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The union representing workers at the Escondida copper mine in Chile rejected the final offer by the operator BHP. It noted that the contract offer put forward by the company was insufficient and urged its members to vote to strike. The members of the union will now vote on the contract offer between Thursday and Saturday this week.

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The statement issued by the union says that it has summoned all its members to vote all together to reject the last offer, which in turn is feared to pave way for declaration of a legal strike action. It alleged that the company has no excuse whatsoever for not responding favourably to its reasonable demands. The workers had put in tremendous efforts during the time of pandemic. The responsibility of avoiding conflict lies entirely in the hands of the company, it said.

The union representatives and the company officials have been engaged in negotiations over the past two months. However, the talks had hit a roadblock on the main demands put forth by the union, including an improved professional development system and performance-based compensation system.

The anticipated strike action by the union would further escalate already tight global copper supply situation.