If employees reject the deal, a strike may begin instantly. However Chilean laws lets both get together name for 5 days of presidency mediation, extendable by one other 5 days if each events agree.
Tapia within the interview on Saturday stated that if union members strike, the corporate wouldn’t have the ability to produce copper since substitute employees are prohibited by legislation and the union represents 98.5% of frontline operational employees at Escondida.
In 2017, greater than 2,300 union members took half in a 44-day strike at Escondida, hurting manufacturing and pushing international copper costs up.
“We’re significantly better ready (for a strike) than earlier than. We’ve got a big strike logistics fund, 4 instances bigger than the one from 2017,” Tapia stated. “And we even have credit score agreements to fulfill the essential wants of employees and their households for a very long time.”
Tapia stated that employees have been proposing that they obtain an quantity equal to 1% of shareholder dividends. This quantity could be paid over the three-year lifetime of a brand new contract.
In fiscal 2023, BHP has stated it paid out $8.6 billion which might be about $36,000 for every of Escondida’s 2,390 employees.
“We’ve got the fitting to anticipate that income will probably be shared with employees,” Tapia stated, including that file copper costs make Escondida a “fabulous enterprise.”
Few particulars on BHP’s contract supply have been disclosed apart from a proposed a 20 million Chilean peso ($21,044) bonus per employee.
BHP informed Reuters its supply would improve advantages and add new ones.
“With this newest supply the corporate hopes to achieve a brand new settlement that acknowledges employees’ contributions and permits us to maneuver ahead in a sustainable method in face of Escondida’s challenges,” the corporate stated in an announcement.
Tapia stated the union additionally needed to enhance circumstances for employees who lose their jobs as a result of outsourcing and automation in addition to well being advantages, bonuses and extra.
The union and BHP have repeatedly clashed as a result of work stoppages, stress to extend manufacturing and complaints about employee security.
($1 = 950.3900 Chilean pesos)
(By Fabian Cambero; Modifying by Alexander Villegas and Cynthia Osterman)