UPDATE 1-Peru miners aim for strike decision on Thursday

(Recasts with union, government hopes for talks; details on individual mines)

By Hilary Burke

LIMA, May 3 (Reuters) - Peru's largest miners' union said it hoped to either reaffirm or call off its nationwide strike on Thursday, as talks with the government continued.

The National Federation of Metallurgic and Steel Miners called the indefinite walkout on Monday, demanding better job benefits and improved conditions for contract workers.

Three joint commissions created to address the miners' demands met on Thursday after lengthy talks were held a day earlier.

"We hope today (Thursday) we can define things, whether we decide to continue the strike, intensify it or see how it might end," Luis Castillo, the federation's leading official, told Reuters during an afternoon break in talks.

"We have to evaluate everything" discussed by the commissions, he added.

Union leaders from throughout the country were arriving in Peru's capital, Lima, to weigh the government's most recent proposals, federation official Jesus del Castillo said.

Nearly 300 workers were also marching to Congress to demand mining sector reforms, Del Castillo said.