Author: Paul Ploumis25 Sep 2014 Last updated at 08:06:42 GMT
SANTIAGO (Scrap Monster): According to the Union leaders, 99 percent of the workers working in the mine, which includes about 2,000 workers, participated in the 24 hour strike conduc6ted yesterday and this will be followed by a long walk out on Monday. The main complaint raised by the workers are that the management of the company is not looking into the ideas to deal the working hours of the workers of the mine, neither are they doing anything about the job security of the workers. Apart from that the workers are also demanding the company to take required measures in order to protect and safeguard the workers from the effects of working in high altitude. The mine is constructed in the Andes mountain about 3000 meters above the sea level, located in the northern Chile.
The main controller of the Escondia mine is BHP Billiton, holding about 57.5 percent stake of the mine, followed by the Rio Tinto owns about 30 percent of shares and then JCEO corporation along with JCEO2 Ltd, owning 10 and 2.5 percent of the share of respectively.
Patricio Thapia the union leader stated that the workers have agreed to meet with the management which will be held on September 29th which will be concentrating on the discussion regarding the workers’ demands. He also added that, the company was fined several times on the basis of the company’s lack of attention regarding employees attendance roll according to the South American Country’s Labor Law.