Union says Freeport's Cerro Verde to strike July 16

LIMA, July 9 (Reuters) - Workers at Freeport-McMoRan's (FCX.N) Cerro Verde copper pit in Peru plan to strike starting July 16, a union leader said on Wednesday.

"We will have our own strike, which should start July 16," Leoncio Amudio told Reuters.

Last week, workers at Cerro Verde, Peru's third-largest copper mine, decided not to join a nationwide mining strike that ended on Sunday. At the time, the union had said it could hold its own strike to push the company for better benefits. (Reporting by Teresa Cespedes; Writing by Dana Ford)