Workers at the world's largest copper mine -- the BHP-controlled Escondida in northern Chile -- have begun a 24 hour stoppage in protest over alleged breaches of their agreement.
The protest, which began at 8 am local time Thursday, came a day after 120 workers were fired.
The open pit operation produced almost 1 million mt of copper in concentrates and cathode last year.
The latest tussle came eight months after the union ended a 43-day strike at the mine, costing millions of dollars in lost production and delaying key investment projects. As that strike ended without a deal, the two sides were due to begin negotiations on a new collective agreement in the coming months.
