Unions at Chile’s Escondida mine reject bid to pause contract talks after worker’s death

On Friday, unions at Chile’s Escondida copper mine rebuffed a bid by management to suspend contract negotiations with unionized supervisors and staff following a fatal accident earlier in the week. Management, in an internal note, had sought a temporary halt to negotiations after the worker’s death. However, unions rejected the request, signaling that talks would proceed as scheduled.

The supervisors’ union condemned the company for exploiting the tragedy to seek a suspension of the collective bargaining process, particularly given previous warnings about hazardous working conditions. Escondida, located in Chile’s northern Atacama Desert, had initially halted operations following the accident before gradually resuming on Thursday, pending investigation.

Once safety inspectors confirm the site is safe, mines in Chile can typically resume operations. Union 1, representing rank-and-file workers, deemed it unacceptable that most of the mine’s activities continued following the accident and also rejected the company’s attempt to suspend supervisors’ contract talks. The union categorized the request as a mere delaying tactic, categorically rejecting it.

The workers’ death cannot be leveraged for other purposes, Union 1 stated. Unionized supervisors are scheduled to vote on the company’s latest contract offer from September 28 to September 30. Their union has advised members to reject the proposal, potentially paving the way for a strike. BHP operates Escondida, while Rio Tinto holds a 30% stake and Japan-based JECO owns 12.5%.