Chile’s Centinela copper mine and the Distrito Centinela and Minera Esperanza unions returned to the negotiating table on Tuesday under a voluntary mediation process, a week after the unions began a stoppage when collective contract talks failed. The unions are seeking equal benefits for workers regardless of union affiliation. No agreement had been announced as the talks continued.
The two sides dispute the operational impact. The unions say their members account for more than 50 percent of critical mine operators, including shovel and drill operators, and more than 60 percent of equipment maintenance workers, and that the number of trucks operating has been cut in half. They warn the full effect would be felt in November, when production could fall by half. Antofagasta said when the strike began that the 709 striking workers represent about 22 percent of the mine’s direct workforce and that its production outlook was unchanged, a position it repeated in its third quarter report on Thursday.
Centinela produces roughly 1 percent of global copper mine supply, with 2026 guidance of 195,000 to 215,000 tonnes. With the Escondida supervisors’ dispute settled on Wednesday, Centinela is now the biggest of the remaining Chilean disruptions, alongside the partial suspension at Codelco’s El Teniente after the October 11 landslide.
The strike is a price share dispute as much as a cost dispute. Copper near record levels has strengthened union claims across Chile this contract season, and the Centinela outcome will set the tone for the next round of negotiations at other Antofagasta and BHP operations.