Two Centinela unions approve a contract and end their strike
Two unions at Chile’s Centinela mine approved a collective contract and ended their strike after renewed mediation. The unions reported support from 94.49 per cent of ballots cast. The settlement covers 709 workers and addresses pay and benefit differences. The company said it maintained operations during the dispute; no output measurement accompanied that claim.
Economics & Markets··Night
Workers approve the collective contract
The Distrito Centinela and Minera Esperanza unions, which represent workers at Chile’s Minera Centinela mine, ended their strike after members approved a new collective contract. Centinela is an operation of Antofagasta Minerals. The unions reported that 94.49 per cent of ballots cast supported the agreement and that turnout reached 97.32 per cent. The ballot concluded negotiations following renewed mediation between the company and the two organizations.[1], [2]
The settlement covers 709 workers across the two unions, which the company had said represented 22 per cent of the mine’s own workforce. Distrito Centinela union president Héctor Iron Aguilera said the contract was signed on Saturday close to midnight. The approval announced on 18 October followed industrial action that began on 7 October after mandatory mediation failed to produce an agreement.[1], [2]
Pay and benefit differences drove the dispute
The unions had challenged differences in remuneration and benefits between employees who, they said, performed the same functions but belonged to different organizations. Their leaders said the agreement secured most of their equality and fairness demands. Aguilera said the gains concentrated on monthly income, including basic pay and productivity bonuses. Mine general manager Nicolás Rivera also described the contract’s economic conditions and employee benefits.[1], [2]
Voluntary mediation resumed before the vote
Voluntary mediation resumed on 13 October under the Antofagasta Regional Labour Directorate, Chile’s regional labour authority. On 15 October, the company said it remained committed to that process and had offered new proposals to union officials and advisers. It described those proposals as containing significant economic improvements. The workers’ subsequent approval is a later step than those negotiating offers, bringing the contract to a membership vote and ending the strike.[1], [2]
The company welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations and said it maintained continuity of operations during the dispute. Its earlier statement had said it did not expect production to be affected. Neither account supplies a quantified measure of actual output or production losses during the strike. Union leaders, meanwhile, highlighted members’ support and thanked workers who maintained strike camps at the mine and in Santiago, also acknowledging three hunger strikers.[1], [2]
