Published: August 6, 2018 |

[Click image to enlarge]

Workers at the world’s biggest copper mine, the BHP-owned Escondida operation in Chile, have voted to reject a new wage offer and go on strike following the end of their 30-month contract. A total of 2,330 union members voted on strike action, with 1,955 in favor of striking and 370 accepting BHP’s new contract, alongside four blank votes and one spoiled ballot. The workers said in a statement: “We hope that given this clear wish to reject the company’s offer, which has been expressed in a mature and democratic way by our bases, the company will see the need to find an agreement that recognizes our rights.”

Last week BHP reportedly offered the workers an increase of 1.5 percent to their salaries, in addition to a signing bonus of $18,000. The workers themselves, however, asked for a signing bonus closer to $36,000 and a raise of 5 percent, leaving considerable distance between the two sides.

The miner’s union says BHP has raised the production threshold needed for workers to be given bonuses from 96 percent of the mine’s potential output to 98 percent, a demand that workers claim will lead to increased health and safety risks as workers are pushed towards the higher target. The proposed new contract has driven an addition wedge between unions and BHP as its signing bonus and related benefits were also offered to non-union workers; the unions called this ‘discriminatory’.

Source: Mining Technology

To stop by BHP’s website, CLICK HERE

Be in-the-know when you’re on-the-go!