Sisan, Codelco's Andina Mine Supervisors' Union, Accepted The Final Offer But Its Three Other Unions Are Still On Strike

Chile's state-owned mining company Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Tuesday that Sisan, an alliance of Andina's supervisors, had accepted the New Deal with 92 percent of the vote after accepting the final offer.

The 36-month collective contract, in addition to incentives consistent with the department's production goals and the profound changes it is undergoing, does not provide salary increases, but does include a signing bonus of approximately $6,500 for each member, as well as incentives for meeting production goals.

General Manager Rodrigo Barrera stressed that "in this challenging workplace situation and with Codelco's shared goals and commitment to Andina's employees, the agreement terms represent the best that the company can do today in collective bargaining, And consider the transformation and competitiveness challenges facing the sector."

The surge in copper prices to record highs this year has given Chilean unions extra leverage, raising tensions in Labour negotiations and putting pressure on global supplies of the metal.

Workers from Andina's other three unions, the Union of Integrated Labor Industries (SIIL), the United Workers union (SUT) and the Union of Factories (Suplant), went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the company.