Workers at the largest copper mine in the world, located in northern Chile, stated on Tuesday that they will go on a three-day strike the following week to protest “severe security events.” “at the mine in Escondida.
The Escondida Mining union announced in a statement that more over 2,400 miners will walk out from Monday through Wednesday.
The decision was made as a result of “severe safety accidents, such three fires. Where we could determine that the company had not implement the safeguarding and prevention procedures. Which are requir of it, “the statement stated.
With a yearly output of 5.6 million tonnes, or about one-third of the whole worldwide output. Chile is the world’s greatest producer of copper.
BHP, a massive Anglo-Australian company, owns Escondida.
The mine employees’ 44-day strikes in 2017 was the longest in Chilean mining history. Costing BHP $740 million and causing the GDP of the nation to fall by 1.3 percent.
The ratification of a new collective agreement prevented a possible strike in August 2021, as local media reported that each employee had received over $27,000 in bonuses for operating during the pandemic.
Around 1.1 million tonnes of copper are produc annually at the open-air Escondida mine in Antofagusta.
Workers accused BHP of anti-union tactics and the “violation of fundamental rights” and stated that recent events had exposed them to “severe risks.“
The union claimed that the corporation, which has not responded, has refused to look for ways to resolve their problems.