Workers at the world’s largest copper mine in Chile are digging in for a long strike, emboldened by new labour laws that are likely to result in tough wage negotiations in the industry in 2017 in one of Latin America’s most free-market economies. The 2 500-member union at BHP Billiton’s Escondida mine has been on strike since Thursday. Labour leaders say they are far from reaching an agreement, and BHP has already said it will not be able to fulfill copper delivery contracts.
