Talks at World’s Top Copper Mine Are Heading for a Tense Finale

A months-long wage negotiation at the world’s biggest copper mine is heading into a tense finale over the coming days.

The main union at Chile’s Escondida is calling on workers to be ready to strike amid limited progress in mediated talks. But owner BHP Group said it had made substantial improvements and vowed to continue its practice of not sweetening offers during strikes.

Wage talks at a mine that accounts for about 5% of global production are being closely watched by the copper market as trillions of dollars in government stimulus fuel demand for industrial metals. Traders will have to navigate Chile’s somewhat complex labor rules to figure out the likely next steps.