Two unions representing workers at Antofagasta Minerals’ (LON: ANTO) Centinela copper mine in Chile called on workers to hold a strike vote, saying negotiations with the firm had reached a “dead end”.
The unions Trabajadores de Minera Esperanza and Trabajadores Distrito Centinela, which joined the collective bargaining, said they received the latest proposal from the formal dialogue process on Wednesday, with voting scheduled between September 26 and September 28.
“The latest offer received today does not even resolve the discrimination, as long-standing disparities remain,” said the unions in a statement.
The unions added they are financially prepared to face a possible strike “lasting many days” at the mine.
Under Chilean law, if the offer is rejected, the parties must still undergo a mandatory five-day government mediation, which can be extended for the same period by mutual agreement, before being authorized to start a strike.
Antofagasta Minerals declined to comment on its collective bargaining negotiations.
(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Editing by Iñigo Alexander and Natalia Siniawski)
