MINERALS-METALS-LME-LABOUR

- On the same day, the CEO of Southern Copper Corp. said its Peru output levels had fallen slightly due to a strike by most of its workers. - On April 28, the largest group of unionised workers at Peru's Ilo copper smelter, run by Southern Copper Corp., launched indefinite strike to demand better wages and benefits. - On April 23, conditions at Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold's (FCX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Grasberg copper-gold mine in Papua, Indonesia were returning to normal after thousands of workers ended a four-day strike at the weekend. Walkout had slashed production. - On April 11, union leaders blockaded Codelco's giant Chuquicamata copper mine in northern Chile to protest the company's slow progress in negotiating certain benefits with workers. Blockade lifted the next day, output not affected. - On April 10, Chile's Codelco reached new, early contract agreements with two unions at its Salvador division. - On April 5, workers at Doe Run's La Oroya zinc-lead-copper-silver-gold complex in Peru ended a three-day strike after reaching financial deal with the company. - On April 2, unionised office and technical workers at CVRD-Inco's nickel operations ratified the labour deal reached earlier on Monday, ending a brief strike. - On March 19, workers at Peruvian zinc miner Volcan (VOL_pa.LM: Quote, Profile, Research) reached an agreement with the company's management to avoid a strike that was due to start on Monday, both sides said. The deal settled a key concern over profit sharing. - On March 14, Zambia's Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) agreed to a 20 percent salary rise with workers. Unions had initially asked for 80 percent while management had offered 18 percent. - On March 13, Zambia's Luanshya Copper Mine (LCM) workers agreed a 22 percent pay rise offered by its management. An earlier six-day strike ended on March 7 after management reinstated workers it had sacked. - On March 5, miners at Mopani Copper Mines resumed work after receiving assurances management would show flexibility in wage talks. Strike began previous week after workers rejected pay rise offer. - On March 2, a union leader at Peru's Volcan said workers planned to strike starting on March 19 if the company did not accept their demands for better benefits and a share of profits. - On February 22, workers at Southern Copper Corp.'s Ilo copper smelter and Cuajone mine in Peru said they would take strike votes at end-month if labour authorities cannot resolve a dispute with company over contract dates. Workers want to negotiate new one-year contracts in March, while the company says wage talks are not due for another few months. - On February 21, Chile's Codelco said it reached new wage deal with over 500 workers at its Codelco Norte division, avoiding a strike. Workers belong to The Mining Union, which negotiates separately from main unions at the division. - On February 19, Mexico's mine union said 90 percent of the country's mines and metal plants were shut as workers took part in a one-day national strike in memory of 65 men killed in a coal shaft explosion a year earlier. - On February 16, Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) restarted mining and deliveries to Guinea's Kamsar port after the government lifted martial law in the area. The Alumina Company of Guinea (ACG), controlled by Russia's RUSAL, restarts shipments on Feb 20. - On February 12, unions in Guinea resumed a general strike in protest against the country's president and disrupted mining. - On February 8, union workers approved a 42-month labour contract with bankrupt U.S. copper miner Asarco covering plants in southern Arizona and Texas. Asarco's main shareholder is Grupo Mexico. On March 15, Asarco said a judge in its bankruptcy case had approved the collective-bargaining agreement. - On February 7, Lundin Mining Corp (LUN.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said production at normal levels at its Galmoy zinc-lead mine in Ireland. In mid-January, company said labour talks had slowed output at the mine. Negotiations continued in May. - On February 4, workers at BHP Billiton's (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research)(BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research) Cerro Colorado copper mine accepted a contract offer from management and called off a planned strike. - On February 3, unionised workers at Xstrata Plc's (XTA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) nickel operations in Sudbury, Ontario, ratified a new three-year collective agreement. The sides reached a tentative agreement minutes before the previous contract expired on January 31. - On January 30, workers at the Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile voted to reject a final pay offer from owner BHP Billiton, raising the prospect of a strike. - On January 27, unions reached a deal to end 18-day general strike in Guinea. Mining resumed. - On January 26, a leader of Bolivia's mining cooperatives confederation, grouping tens of thousands of workers, threatened to lead nationwide protests over government plans to overhaul the mining industry. - A general strike that crippled production at New Caledonia's Doniambo nickel smelter, and the mines that supply it, ended late January 18, operator Societe Le Nickel (SLN) said. SLN is 60 percent-owned by France's Eramet (ERMT.PA: Quote, Profile, Research). - On January 17, workers at Guinea's Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinee (CBG) halted bauxite output in support of a general strike. CBG operated by Alcoa World Alumina (AA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) through Halco venture with Canada's Alcan (AL.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) and privately owned Dadco. - On January 16, unionised workers at Xstrata Plc's nickel operations in Sudbury voted in favour of giving their union a mandate to strike should it reject a new labour contract offer from the company. - On January 12, Canada's Lundin Mining Corp. said it will have to delay some shipments and reschedule deliveries because production at its Galmoy zinc-lead mine in Ireland has slowed due to labour talks. - On January 6, copper mining company Asarco and the United Steelworkers union reached a tentative agreement for a new contract covering 1,500 workers in plants in southern Arizona and Texas, the union said. - On January 3, a mediator started to help Xstrata Plc and the union at its Sudbury, Ontario, operations negotiate a new labour contract. Strike authorisation vote set for January 16. LABOUR CONTRACTS The following table lists labour contracts due to expire at major operations in the remainder of 2007 according to Reuters' Metal Production Database and Labour Contract Diary. Plant name Exp. date Plant type Owner Country COPPER Ilo* 01/03/07 Smelter/ SCC Peru Refinery Cuajone* 05/07 Mine SCC Peru Toquepala 05/07 Mine SCC Peru Toquepala 05/07 SX-EW SCC Peru Potrerillos 31/08/07 Smelter Codelco Chile Los Pelambres 31/08/2007 Mine Antofagas- Chile ta * Expiry dates under dispute. ALUMINIUM St. Ann 31/12/07 Mine Xstrata/ Jamaica Century ZINC CEZ 31/10/07 Refinery Xstrata/ Canada NIC