Union Fails to Reach Agreement with BHP's Escondida and Goes on Strike

From Escondida | BHP indicated that they made 4 proposals, where, according to the company, each of the points raised by the union was addressed.

No agreement. In a statement, the board of the Sindicato N° 1 de Trabajadores de Minera Escondida (Union No. 1 of Escondida Mine Workers) reported that after discussions with the company, no agreement was reached, and they will go on strike.

According to the union, the talks "did not present substantive progress that would allow for a favorable outcome to the heartfelt and significant demands of the workers, which led to the closure of the mandatory mediation."

"We are convinced that we responsibly made every effort to reach an agreement, but it was not possible," they stated.

Finally, the union called on workers to "follow the instructions closely to carry out the strike effectively, as this responds to a plan that has been carefully studied from an operational and legal standpoint, as well as projecting a long-term strike."

Response from Escondida 

For their part, Escondida stated that they regret the decision, as they commented that "throughout the process, consecutive efforts were made to present proposals that included substantial improvements to the current contract, which is already one of the best collective agreements in the industry."

"Only during the mediation process did the company make 4 proposals addressing each of the points raised by the union, who presented new demands on the last day of mediation," they stated.

Finally, they indicated that "due to the inability to make progress and, as a result of this outcome, the contingency plan was activated in response to the start of the legal strike by the workers of Sindicato N°1."