Chile’s powerful copper-mining unions are encouraging workers in the world’s top producer to down tools and join anti-government demonstrations that have swept the country for the past five days.
Unions representing workers across Chile’s main mines have announced one or two-day stoppages as they call for the government to withdraw the state of emergency and listen to people’s demands. Port terminals, including some key copper-shipping facilities, will join the stoppage, unions said.
While Chile is the top copper-producing nation, churning out just under a third of global supply, it’s still unclear how much impact the disruption could have on copper markets, if any.
Strikes have become fairly common at Chile’s mines and a two-day stoppage would have minimal effect. In July, about 3,200 machine operators and maintenance workers staged a 14-day strike at Chuquicamata, a mine located in the country’s north.
Antofagasta Plc estimated the current civil unrest could potentially disrupt about 5,000 tons of metal, a small amount for a company that produces more than 700,000 tons a year.
For the rest of this article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-23/world-s-biggest-copper-producer-hit-by-unrest-as-mines-to-halt