Unionized employees at one of Peru's largest copper pits said Wednesday that 'talks have reached an impasse' and a strike in the near future is a definite possibility. The employees have been working without a contract since July of this year. Although Antamina copper pit has had a history of difficult labor negotiations, there has never been a strike over contract talks at the mine. Nevertheless, the union says "it is prepared" if a strike must go on. Talks, which are a joint endeavor between the union and four companies which use copper from the Antamina pit, are scheduled to resume on Monday, after which the union will decide whether or not a strike is necessary.
See "Union may strike at Peru's Antamina copper pit", Patricia Velez, Reuters, November 3, 2009