KEY POINTS
• Escondida supervisors remain far from a new contract.
• BHP must submit an offer for workers to vote on.
• Rejected terms could trigger mandatory mediation and a strike vote.
Supervisors at BHP’s Escondida copper mine in Chile remain far from reaching a new collective agreement, with the deadline for the company to present a fresh offer rapidly approaching.
Union leader Alexis Barrera said the two sides remain divided on key issues, with workers expected to decide whether the company’s proposal provides enough improvements in pay, benefits and working conditions.
BHP has until Wednesday to submit an offer for employees to vote on. If supervisors reject the proposal, the dispute will move into a mandatory government mediation process.
The mediation will initially last at least five days. If no agreement is reached, it can be extended for another five days before workers become legally entitled to strike.
Barrera said the union’s calculations show that BHP’s latest proposal provides limited gains compared with the existing collective agreement.
The union has also rejected a company proposal that would require supervisors to receive training for plant operating duties, including driving trucks.
According to the union, those responsibilities should remain with operational floor staff rather than being transferred to supervisors.
The dispute also centres on working schedules. Escondida management is seeking a 14-days-on, 14-days-off shift pattern, but Barrera said the union would not accept the proposed arrangement.
The disagreement over working conditions adds to the unresolved issues surrounding salaries and benefits as the deadline for a potential settlement approaches. The Escondida supervisors’ union has signalled that its members could support industrial action if negotiations fail.
Barrera said the union remains confident in its negotiating position and that members have strong confidence in its leadership. He added that, if a strike vote becomes necessary, he expects it to receive strong support.
Escondida is one of the world’s major copper mines, making the labor negotiations significant for BHP’s Chilean operations.
The immediate focus, however, remains on whether BHP can present an offer capable of securing approval before the dispute moves deeper into the formal mediation process.
If workers reject the company’s offer, the mandatory mediation period will provide both sides with additional time to try to reach an agreement before strike action becomes legally possible.
