Workers at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, located in Chile's Atacama Desert, have voted in favor of the strike, rejecting an offer from BHP Billiton, which owns the mine.
The Anglo-Australian company's proposal included a 1.5 percent pay increase. Whereas employees are demanding a 5 percent increase. 1,955 union members voted in favor of the strike, and 370 voted in favor of the "final proposal" of BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company.
“We hope that given the clear will to refuse the company's offer, the company will understand the need to find an agreement that recognizes our rights,” the employees said in a statement.
BHP Billiton is expected to ask for mediation from the Chilean government, which may delay the start of the strike.
In 2017, Escondida miners played out a 44-day mining hit that “shook the global copper markets” and stifled economic growth in Chile. This South American state is the largest copper producer in the world, and its economy is highly dependent on the export of this raw material.
Strike looms at Escondida's largest copper mine
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Azovpromstal® 5 August 2018 г. 13:26 |
