Chile Escondida mine output drops due to strike in 2006

Chile Escondida mine output drops due to strike in 2006

January 26, 2007 Filed Under: Mining Services  

Chile’s Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, saw production fall 1.25 percent in 2006 due to a 25-day strike over wages.

Escondida, owned by global miner BHP Billiton Ltd. Plc , said copper production for the year amounted to 1,255,559 tonnes, down from 1,271,472 tonnes in 2005.

The shortfall came after workers at the mine in northern Chile walked off the job for most of August in a strike to demand higher wages.

“Because of that, in the July-September 2006 quarter, production fell 21.8 percent compared to the same period in 2005,” Escondida said in a statement late Thursday.

Escondida also said its gold production for 2006 came in at 170,038 ounces.

Escondida produces close to a fifth of all the copper produced in Chile, the world’s largest producer of the red metal.

Source: Reuters

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