Chile copper mine port strike in second day
SANTIAGO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Workers at Chile's top mining port Antofagasta stayed off the job for a second day on Thursday, vowing to strike indefinitely until their demands for higher wages and improved working conditions were met, a union leader said.
Workers started their strike at Antofagasta, which serves Chile's northern mining region, just before midnight on Tuesday, leaving at least one copper shipment delayed for global miner Xstrata Copper (XTA.L).
"At this time the strike continues. We are looking at the possibility of meeting with management during the course of the morning," Port union leader Cristian Salfate told Reuters by telephone.
He said the strike stopped some copper shipments from being loaded.
On Wednesday Xstrata Copper, a unit of global mining giant Xstrata (XTA.L), said one shipment of copper anodes had been delayed by the strike, but it did not expect any further impact in the near term.
Xstrata uses the port to ship anodes from the Altonorte smelter and cathodes from its Lomas Bayas mine.
The port receives copper for shipment from mines producing about a third of the world's copper.
The port also handles exports of molybdenum from Codelco, although the massive state miner and world's No. 1 copper company said Wednesday it had not been affected by the strike.
Copper shipments come into Antofagasta every day, and trains bearing shiny copper cathode sheets are a common sight in the desert port town.
Antofagasta is the primary point of exit for copper in cathode from Escondida, the world's largest copper mine and owned by global diversified miner BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) (BLT.L).
Zaldivar, owned by Canada's Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO) and the El Abra mine, majority-owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (FCX.N), also ship copper through the port. (Reporting by Antonio de la Jara; Editing by John Picinich)
