Copper Mountain Mining Corporation T.CUM

Codelco comments and more strike votes on deck

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Benavides said copper prices — which remain at highly profitable levels despite recent volatility — aren’t a factor in the company’s collective bargaining processes. Union leaders disagree, saying workers should share in the windfall.

The chairman said Codelco is approaching wage talks in a responsible manner, taking into consideration the productivity of each division and the company’s duty to generate money for the state.

A strike by the two main unions at Andina is completing a second week, with a Salvador union scheduled to vote on the company’s final offer in the coming days and four unions about to begin regular talks at its top mine, El Teniente.