IQUIQUE, Chile - Union workers at Chile's massive Collahuasi mine were set to resume mediated wage talks with the company on Tuesday in a bid to avoid a strike that would halt the world's No. 3 copper mine's production, mine owners and workers said on Monday.
The government-led mediation began on Friday, two days after a strike vote by the workers, who overwhelmingly rejected a company wage offer. The mediation was asked for by both parties.
Mine owners Xstrata and Anglo American did not meet with unions on Sunday or on Monday due to a national holiday.
Talks began on Saturday, but union leaders told Reuters the most contentious issues would not be discussed until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Workers staged a four-day strike during Collahuasi's last wage negotiations in 2007.
Xstrata and Anglo American have said they hope to reach an agreement with the union during the mediation. If no deal is reached, both parties can seek an extension. But workers could also opt against that and start a strike.
A work stoppage could come as early as Nov. 5 at the mine, which produces 535 000 tonnes of copper a year, or 3,3 percent of the world's mined copper.
The walkout could lead to disruptions in global supply, which could in turn increase prices at a time when copper prices are already at their highest in more than two years.
Chile is the world's biggest copper producer.
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