Codelco signs deal with some workers, others strike
Source: Reuters
(Recasts, updates with signing of deal) SANTIAGO, July 23 (Reuters) - Chilean copper giant Codelco on Monday signed a deal with representatives of around 14,000 subcontracted workers, but remained in talks with a hard core of around 4,000 who have been on strike for four weeks. State-owned Codelco, which supplied 11 percent of the world's copper last year, reached an agreement on bonuses and benefits with a group of unions which, between them, represent around half of the 28,000 subcontracted workers at Codelco. "We hope this document can be the basis for all such agreements from now on," Francisco Vivanco, Codelco's vice-president for corporate projects, told a news conference. The 14,000 workers have not joined the strike launched by the more militant Confederation of Copper Workers (CTC), whose members have staged protests and blockaded Codelco mines since they started their action on June 25. Codelco remained locked in talks with CTC leaders on Monday afternoon after failing to reach an agreement over the weekend to end the strike. Codelco said there were protests at its Teniente division in central Chile on Monday morning, which had delayed shifts, and that staff had failed to turn up to work at Salvador, the smallest of the company's four mining divisions. But it said overall production was "as normal". The CTC launched its strike in a bid to squeeze more money from Codelco, whose profits have risen along with soaring prices for the metal. Picketers have blocked roads and stopped buses transporting staff to Codelco mines. Occasionally, the protests have turned violent, with buses set on fire and trucks carrying copper from Codelco mines attacked and wrecked. The striking workers are not employed directly by Codelco but perform tasks like earth clearing, catering, truck driving and cleaning at Codelco mines. They say they want their salaries brought more into line with the company's unionized staff, who have enjoyed ample pay raises and bonuses as the copper price has risen.
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