By Ryan Dube 

Workers at BHP Billiton Ltd.'s majority-owned Minera Escondida copper mine in Chile went on strike Thursday following unsuccessful talks for a new collective bargaining agreement, a union official said.

"People didn't show up to work," said Carlos Allendes, a spokesman for Escondida's largest union, Union No.1. "The strike has begun."

Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine that accounts for about 5% of global output of the metal, has said it would halt production during the strike.

BHP, which has a 58% stake in Escondida, said last month that the mine would turn out 1.1 million tons of copper during the 12-month period that ends on June 30.

Write to Ryan Dube at ryan.dube@dowjones.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 09, 2017 07:31 ET (12:31 GMT)

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