Workers at Chile's Escondida copper mine, the world's largest, started what they warned would be a massive strike at the mine early on Monday to demand a wage and benefits hike from its foreign owners. Workers are demanding a large increase in salary and benefits that reflect soaring copper prices, while the company seeks to protect itself from the next cyclical downturn in prices for the red metal. Chile is the world's largest copper producer, and host to many international miners.
See "Strike Starts at Chile Copper Mine", Reuters, The New York Times, August 6, 2006