Chilean national copper company calls on strikers at Andina mine to return to the negotiating table

(Codelco), Chile's national copper company, called on its Andina miners to return to the negotiating table on Friday after workers at the mine had been on strike for 16 days, union leaders said.

The strike has reduced operations and production to the lowest levels needed to ensure safety. Copper prices have soared this year because of tight supply and a recovery in global demand.

"Codelco loses nearly $5 million a day," said union leader Manuel Canas. The unions insist that the contracts offered by Codelco cut historical benefits and ignore high copper prices.

For more than two weeks, union members have been protesting in front of Codelco headquarters in downtown San Diego and earlier sent a letter to President Sebastian Pinera explaining their views.

Codelco declined to comment on the tensions, but the union said a company manager had called on (SIIL), the labour integration industry federation, and (SUT), the unified workers' union, to return to the negotiating table.

The strike comes shortly after miner BHP Billiton reached an agreement with workers at the (Escondida) mine in Escondida that offered record benefits and raised standards at other mines in Chile.

The Andina mine produced 184000 tons of copper in 2020.