Labor negotiations at the Centinela Copper Mine under Antofagasta Minerals have escalated. The two main unions stated that they are ready to strike; however, they hope to avoid a strike if the company agrees to a deal during the government-mandated mediation period.

━━━━━━━━━━━━
Key Information
━━━━━━━━━━━━

● Unions Involved
Minera Esperanza, Distrito Centinela
Total membership: 708 people

● Negotiation Status
The unions rejected the company's proposed contract, triggering a five-day government mediation process, which can be extended with mutual consent from both parties.

● Core Demands
All workers, regardless of which union they belong to, should receive the same welfare benefits.

● Union Statements
Milena Díaz, from the Minera Esperanza union:
Workers are willing to reach an agreement, but the company has not yet proposed a solution to resolve the conflict.

Héctor Aguilera, leader of the Distrito Centinela union:
Members are ready to strike, and the workers are "convinced that now is the time" to end the disparity in welfare benefits.

● Strike Timeline
If no agreement is reached, the strike could receive legal authorization and begin as early as October 13.

● Market Impact
The Centinela Copper Mine produced 240,400 tons of copper in 2025.
The strike risk is supporting global copper prices. The mine's output has already been constrained by operational issues, declining ore grades and severe weather.

If mediation breaks down, the Centinela Copper Mine could enter a legal strike as early as October 13, stoking fresh concerns about global copper market supply.

SunSirs has been continuously tracking price data for over 200 commodities for nearly 20 years, please contact support@sunsirs.com for subscription.