UPDATE 2-Peru union leaders end Southern Copper strike

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LIMA, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A strike at Southern Copper (PCU.N)(SPC.LM) in Peru was called off on Tuesday after union leaders and company officials signed a settlement pact pushed for by the government.

The walkout started eight days ago at the mines and smelter of Southern, a major global copper producer.

Under the agreement, workers will return to their jobs on Wednesday morning and the government will set a higher wage rate for laborers in about a week.

"We just reached an accord," said Arnaldo Oviedo, head of the union at the Ilo refinery. "Tomorrow things start as normal."

Southern Copper, a unit of Grupo Mexico <GMEXICOB.MX, has two mines in Peru that together produce 370,000 tonnes of copper a year. Its Ilo smelter churns out 350,000 tonnes.

"The end of the strike is imminent," said Jorge Chavez, head of the union at the Toquepala mine. "The Cuajone union has signed, we're finishing signing for Toquepala and after that it will be Ilo's turn."

Peru's Labor Ministry worked to end the walkout to keep up minerals exports in the Andean country's fast-growing economy, where the mining sector has been slowed by a series of strikes this year.

"At this moment we are signing the acts for which the strike would end at midnight," said Manuel Ramirez, head of labor relations for Southern Copper. (Reporting by Marco Aquino, Terry Wade and Maria Luisa Palomino)