Over 2,492 union workers could begin striking at the world's largest copper mine in Escondida on Monday. BHP Billiton Ltd.'s employees in Chile rejected the company's most recent wage offer and ninety-nine percent voted in favor of a strike. The miners are being represented by Union Number 1. The contract rejection led to copper prices rising over $6,000 per metric ton today. A strike could impact the negotiations of 15 other mining contracts in Chile. Under Chilean labor law, BHP has two days to ask for an extension, but would have to use it to "put forward concrete proposals".
See "Copper Tops $6,000 as Escondida Strike Vote Escalates Risks", Laura Millan Lombrana and David Stringer, Bloomberg, February 1, 2017