After weeks of tension from an open-ended strike, workers at Codelco in Chile – considered the largest copper producer globally – have ended their action after reaching a deal with the government.
According to a Barron’s report citing the Agence France Presse, the strike by FTC Labor Federation involved about 40,000 mine workers, all protesting the closure of the Ventanas foundry following a 9 June incident that left 115 people, mostly children, with sulfur dioxide poisoning.
It was the third such event in a three-day period.
The unions for Coldelco, which is state-owned, called the closure “arbitrary” and demanded the government spend money instead to bring the plant up to current environmental compliance, Barron’s said.
The terms of the new deal between the parties was not made available.
Source: Chile Workers End Strike At World’s Largest Copper Producer | Barron’s (barrons.com)