A strike at state-owned Hernan Videla Lira smelter in northern Chile has halted operations, state mining development agency Enami said.
Members of the No 2 Workers Union at the metallurgical complex began their protest at midnight Tuesday local time after talks over a new collective contract ended without agreement.
The smelter, in the copper-rich Atacama region, has can treat 340,000 mt/year of material and last year produced 84,516 mt of copper anode.
Enami will make a final delivery of anodes Wednesday but will continue to receive deliveries of minerals and concentrates from mining companies under normal conditions, the company said.
The state-owned company supports Chile's small and medium-sized mining operations by providing technical support, processing capacity and stable prices when metals markets dip.
