Workers at Chile’s Escondida copper mine threaten to strike

Unionized workers say that Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, has not responded to repeated complaints about potential safety risks.

Chile’s President Gabriel Boric said last month he wants to ratify an International Labor Organization convention on health and safety in mines, after two workers died on a mining construction project in July and a giant sinkhole more recently opened up near a copper mine.

In a statement the union said it contacted “Minera Escondida-BHP demanding the resolution of multiple non-compliances, infractions and sustained violations, requesting the start of talks to resolve them promptly.”

The union added it “will hold a vote that concludes tonight, to decide on the start of partial strikes and then an indefinite strike, if the situation is not resolved.”

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If the demands are not resolved, workers plan stoppages in 12-hour shifts on Sep. 12 and 14, and then they would initiate an indefinite strike.

Escondida workers in March also threatened a work stoppage amid claims of breaches in their collective contract, something the company denied.