SANTIAGO/ANTOFAGASTA (Reuters) – Mining group BHP and the striking workers’ union at its Escondida mine in Chile failed to resume formal negotiations after a preliminary meeting earlier in the day, the miners’ union said on Wednesday.
The copper miners’ union began a strike on Tuesday at the Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper mine, after contract negotiations broke down.
A preliminary meeting to resume negotiations began early Wednesday morning, after the union refused to hold a similar meeting on Tuesday, but in a later statement continued to accuse the company of “anti-union” practices by replacing workers.
She said she had to consult with workers about the company’s new proposals but was given a deadline of 2pm to do so, which did not give her enough time to consult with her members.
She said the strike had completely shut down power generation and concentrating stations in Los Colorados.
BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said the mine continued to operate under its contingency plan.
A few hundred workers have begun building a camp in Puerto Colosso in the northern city of Sao Paulo. Antofagasta British oil company BHP (London:) on Wednesday closed its exclusive port for the company’s shipments, which also houses its desalination plants, according to a Reuters witness.
A report by Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual said BHP could lose between $25 million and $30 million a day if the strike continues like the 44-day strike in 2017, adding that the strike has hurt Chile’s gross domestic product.
Chile’s Mining Minister Aurora Williams said she hoped talks would resume, adding that collective bargaining in the country was well organized and the government was not involved in the process.