Union workers at BHP Billiton's Spence copper mine in Chile went on strike Tuesday after rejecting a wage offer, stoking fears of lessening world supply of the red metal. The stoppage at the mine halted the extraction of the mineral, but had no immediate impact on the output of copper cathodes, a BHP spokesman in Chile told Reuters.
Spence produced 164,761 tonnes of copper cathodes in 2008 and any disruptions at its output could further lift copper prices that have seen a steep recovery so far this year.
The strike marks the start of difficult labour talks in the world's top copper producer, Chile, as other key mines approach the expiration of their collective contracts with workers. The 560-member union on Monday voted to strike after scraping the company's final offer that a union leader called "insufficient."
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