Chile Miners Vote Strike

Chile Miners Vote Strike At Codelco’s Chuquicamata Division

Written by Steve Anderson
Tuesday, 29 December 2009 07:21

While workers at Xstrata’s Altonorte smelter also begin strike action

More than 4,300 mine workers at Codelco’s Northern (Chuquicamata) Division voted Monday to reject a new 36-month contract with the state-owned copper company.

An indefinite strike is expected to begin at 5 a.m. early Wednesday morning on the “A” work shift.

The new contract rejected by workers at Codelco’s largest division included a 3.8 percent wage hike, a US$23,000 “end of negotiation” bonus, access to US$6,000 in soft loans, and other benefits. The contract was negotiated the past 45 days.

The vote to strike followed a rowdy Sunday meeting with 22 union leaders and 800 members from Unions 1, 2 and 3. Union members threw eggs, tomatoes, coins and insults at their leaders to show their anger at the deal offered them.

Union members turned down the same package of benefits just one week earlier on a show of hands vote.

Union members say the new contract is not as good as the one negotiated by unions at the privately owned La Escondida mine. Last October, Escondida – owned by BHP Billiton - signed a new contract with its workers that included a US$25,000 “end of negotiation” bonus.

In related news, 274 workers at Xstrata’s Altonorte smelter began to strike on Monday after turning down management’s final contract offer. Union leaders were incensed that the company’s final offer was less than the offer first made to them and vowed to block all access to the smelter facility.

Altonorte officials dismissed any negative impact by the strike, noting that the smelter is temporarily shut down for maintenance and is not set to reopen until January 20.

SOURCE: LA TERCERA, RADIO COOPERATIVA
By Steve Anderson ( editor@santiagotimes.cl This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )