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SANTIAGO, May 14 (Reuters) - A union representing workers at BHP’s Escondida and Spence mines in Chile has rejected the company’s contract offer, raising the risk of a strike at the two sprawling copper deposits, the union’s president told Reuters on Friday.
The union’s 205 workers run the company’s Integrated Operations Centre which manages cathode and concentrator plants in the north of the country from the Chilean capital Santiago.
Union president Jessica Orellana told Reuters that 97% of the group’s workers had voted to reject the deal. The standoff comes as the global price of copper has soared, hitting decade-long highs and providing leverage to unions looking to top up existing contracts and benefits.