BNamericas reported that workers at US based Southern Copper's Cuajone and Toquepala copper mines and its Ilo smelter will begin an indefinite strike on December 24th 2012 to demand higher wages.
Mr Ricardo Juárez Union representative said that the workers requested a 20% general pay raise which was later lowered to 15%, to which the company has counter offered 5.5%. The lowest offer the workers will accept is 13%.
SCC has expansions underway at both the Cuajone and Toquepala mines totaling USD 901 million planned investment over the next two years. The expansions have also faced community protests with a roundtable recently set up in the Moquegua region to discuss environmental concerns regarding Cuajone.
In May this year SCC said that it had spent USD 100 million of the USD 301 million budgeted for the Cuajone expansion which is scheduled to be completed at the end of 1Q13. The Ilo smelter also sits in Moquegua region while Toquepala is in Tacna.
