BHP Billiton's Spence and Escondida mines in Chile will go on strike on Thursday after negotiations failed to reach an agreement.

The union representing workers at the Escondida and Spence copper mines of BHP Billiton rejected the company's contract offer and called on members to resign from Thursday.

205 workers operate the global resources company's integrated operations center, which manages the mining area of the capital Santiago in northern Chile, as well as cathode copper and concentrators.

The impact of the strike on BHP's operations in Chile is unclear as negotiations between the remote operators union and the company are the first.

Paulina Poblete, the union's treasurer, said on Tuesday that the strike would begin at 8:00 local time on Thursday (12:00 GMT).

Roberto (Roberto Robles), the union secretary, said the workers returned to the negotiating table only to inform the company of their decision to leave.

The strike notice came as copper prices hovered near record highs. Escondida (Escondida) is the largest copper mine in the world.

The strike failed to reach an agreement because of contract negotiations. The contract negotiations began at the end of March after union president Jessica Orellana said workers' demands and their key role in the production chain had been ignored. "We are raising the awareness of our members to vote for the strike and are expected to agree 100% to do so." The Escondida and Spence copper mines in Chile, owned by BHP Billiton, face the threat of strike

The union representing the interests of miners at Chile's Escondida copper mine said on Wednesday that it would be prepared for a long strike if BHP Billiton did not change its "bad" attitude towards its labour force and reach a "fair and reasonable" agreement in the upcoming contract negotiations. Escondida Copper Mine in Chile is expected to reach an agreement but be ready to strike

The union said earlier on Tuesday that workers' unions at the Spence and Escondida mines of BHP Billiton would seek a strike after government officials tried to mediate but failed to reach an agreement. "the final offer is too low," said union secretary Robert Pasten (Robert Pasten). "Today, we will decide to go on strike at a general meeting." "BHP Billiton's Escondida and Spence copper mines may go on strike. No agreement has been reached in the previous negotiations.

In 2020, Eskondida (Escondida) produced 1.19 million tons, while Spence (Spence) produced 146700 tons of Chile's total 5.7 million tons.