Workers at the world's largest copper mine in northern Chile have gone on strike after failing to reach a labour agreement with Australia's BHP group, their union said, AFP reported.
Unions have long demanded that 1 per cent of shareholder dividends for the Escondido mine, which produces 5.4 per cent of the world's copper, be distributed among workers.
Their union said it "started a legal strike today" over outstanding demands, which also include shorter working hours, bigger bonuses and compensation for total years worked.
The company has offered the 2,400 union workers a one-time bonus of nearly $29,000, less than the $36,000 requested.
Chile is the largest producer of copper in the world with an annual production of over five million metric tons, accounting for almost a quarter of global production.
When mine workers went on strike for 44 days in 2017 - the longest in the history of the Chilean mining industry - BHP lost $740m, contributing to a 1.3% drop in the country's GDP.
Escondida, which is an open pit mine located in Antofagasta, produces nearly 1.1 million tons of copper annually.
In a statement, BHP regretted the workers' decision, saying it had made "consistent efforts throughout the process to present proposals that contained substantial improvements to the current ones". | BGNES
