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General Market Commentary
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General Base Metals
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General Market Commentary
Chilean workers vote to strike at world's biggest copper mine
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Workers at BHP Billiton Ltd’s Escondida mine in Chile, the world’s biggest copper mine, have voted to reject a company wage offer and go on strike, according to a communique sent to Reuters on Thursday.
A total of 2,330 members voted on strike action, with 1,955 supporting it and 370 accepting the company’s final offer, with four blank votes and one spoiled ballot, according to the 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,” it added.
BHP, which told Reuters earlier on Wednesday that it would not comment on the vote overnight, is expected to request government mediation to attempt a resolution, which could delay any strike action for as many as 10 days.