SHANGHAI, Jun 23 (SMM) - Workers at Chile's state-owned mining giant Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, launched a massive strike on June 22 to protest the closure of a smelter that was caused by environmental concerns. Miners blocked access to the Ventanas copper smelter.

The strike is nationwide and all Codelco employees will walk out to protest the current government's decision. And with the development of the situation, a number of affiliated miners have declared their solidarity with Codelco and joined the strike. The strike is expected to have a great impact on Chilean copper production and the copper market.

The Federation of Copper Workers (FTC) released a statement saying the rest of Codelco "fully supports this strike in solidarity with the workers at the Ventanas division".

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Amador Pantoja told a local TV station that the strike will cost Codelco $20 million a day. Codelco's copper production accounts for about 8% of the world's copper production, accounting for 10%-15% of Chile's GDP.

However, Finance Minister Mario Marcel contested the figure. "If those numbers were correct, all of Codelco's business would have to suddenly collapse, and none of those things are happening right now," Marcel said.