Escondida miners eye month-long walkout

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2006

SANTIAGO (AFP) — Workers at the world's largest copper mine in Chile have rejected an offer from owner BHP Billiton and anticipate a walkout that could last a month, they said.

The workers late Monday refused to vote on a proposal from the Anglo-Australian resources giant BHP put forward on Friday, leaving the mine's production at less than half of normal.

In a meeting of nearly 2,000 workers, the miners decided the three percent wage hike plus 16,000-dollar per-worker bonus the company offered was not enough, union spokesman Pedro Marin said. They are seeking a 13 percent pay increase and a 30,000-dollar payment per miner, he said.

The strike began Monday, jeopardizing eight percent of global copper production and spurring prices to a three-week high....