SANTIAGO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A vote on a new contract for
workers at Candelaria copper mine in Chile, operated by Lundin
Mining Corp, will be fiercely contested amid ongoing
divisions about whether to continue a four-week-long strike, a
union chief said on Monday.
At the end of last week, the company submitted an improved
proposal to the Candelaria union, whose members began the legal
walkout on Oct. 20, prompting the company to suspend operations.
Evelyn Walter, president of the union, said one group of
members were happy with the offer of $22,800 per worker for
allocations and payments for the closing of negotiations, but
another group wanted to push for concessions in other key
aspects of the contract.
"This vote is divided," he told Reuters. "They modified some
bonuses and things like that, but it's the lack of adjustment to
the base salary that people are focusing on most."
The vote, which takes place on Tuesday, comes after
Candelaria's Mine Union, on strike since Oct. 8, rejected an
offer at the beginning of the month and maintained their own
strike.
Candelaria produced 111,400 tons of copper in 2019.
(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; writing by Aislinn Laing; editing
by Chris Reese)