Cerro Colorado union accepts pay offer, BHP Billiton avoids strike - Chile
Cerro Colorado union accepts pay offer, BHP Billiton avoids strike - Chile
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - The union at BHP Billiton's (NYSE: BHP) Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile on Friday voted to accept the company's pay offer to renew labor contracts for 41 months starting February 1, 2010, union president Gustavo Tapia told BNamericas.
Shortly after 3pm some 73% of the union had voted to accept the offer, which consisted of a 4.8% pay raise and 7.6mn pesos (roughly US$15,000) in bonuses per worker, Tapia said.
The number voting yes at the time was a majority large enough for the union to accept the proposal.
BHP Billiton and the union began talks in early November, before the scheduled date.
Workers at the company's 57.5%-owned Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine, also accepted an early settlement, for a 5% pay raise and 14mn pesos in bonuses per worker.
However, employees at BHP Billiton's third mine in Chile, Spence, had not yet accepted the company's pay offer as of Friday and have been on strike for 39 days.
Cerro Colorado produced 18,600t of copper cathode during BHP Billiton's July-September quarter. Spence produced 51,000t of copper cathode in the period, while Escondida's output totaled 788,126t copper in the first nine months of this year. All are in northern Chile....
Community approval of Amayapampa still pending - Bolivia
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Australian company Republic Gold (RGL) (ASX: RAU) still has not received the approval of local communities to move forward with the development of the Amayapampa gold project, an official from Bolivia... more
El Mutún development halted - Bolivia
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Work at the El Mutún iron ore and steel project in Bolivia's Santa Cruz department has been suspended because Indian company Jindal Steel & Power still has not presented a work plan, an official from ... more
Mining investments to reach US$2.7bn in 2009 - Camimex - Mexico
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Mexico's mining chamber Camimex expects the sector's investments this year will fall to US$2.70bn from US$3.66bn in 2008 due to the global crisis, and total US$7.60bn in the 2009-12 period.
"Alth... more
Jaguar increasing exploration budget in 2010 - Brazil
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - New Hampshire-based Jaguar Mining (TSX, NYSE: JAG) is increasing spending on exploration to approximately US$14.7mn in 2010, the company said in a statement.
About half of the amount will be spen... more
Orvana: Don Mario's FY09 production down due to lower mineralized zone's depletion - Bolivia, Chile
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Toronto's Orvana Minerals (TSX: ORV) produced 13,768oz of gold in its fiscal fourth quarter 2009 ending September 30 at the Don Mario mine in Bolivia, down 22% from 17,656oz year-on-year, the company ... more
Brazil's MMX to explore Chańaral province for iron ore - Chile
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - The Chilean subsidiary of Brazilian iron ore miner MMX (Bovespa: MMXM3) presented an EIA to local environmental regulator Conama for a US$12.5mn plan to carry out exploration at the Patricia property ... more
BCP raises target price for El Brocal on projects, metal prices - Peru
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Analysts with Lima-based bank BCP have raised their target price for common shares in local zinc miner El Brocal to 47.2 soles from 12.2 soles and changed their recommendation on the stock to neutral ... more
Miners federation comes out in support of Spence strikers - Chile
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Chile's mineworkers federation (FMC) issued a statement Friday expressing its support for the union at BHP Billiton's (NYSE: BHP) Spence copper mine, now in its 39th day on strike since walking off th... more
Junior roundup: Ventana, Grayd, Rio Alto, Stroud - Regional
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Vancouver-based Ventana Gold (TSX: VEN) reported results from eight drill holes from the La Mascota zone on its La Bodega gold project in Colombia.
Two step-out holes returned 32.3m grading 2.49g/... more
New metallurgical tests up recoveries at Andean American's Invicta - Peru
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Vancouver-based Andean American Mining (TSX-V: AAG) reported that the first metallurgical tests based on the finalized flow sheet for its Invicta mine project in Peru have increased gold recoveries to... more
Court orders suspension of New Gold's Cerro San Pedro mine - Mexico
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - Vancouver's New Gold (TSX, Amex: NGD) has been informed by the Mexican government that it must suspend operations at its Cerro San Pedro mine due to the revocation of the EIS issued in 2006, the compa... more
IN BRIEF Sonami president steps down - Chile
Saturday, November 21, 2009
(BNamericas.com) - The president of Chile's private miners association Sonami, Alfredo Ovalle, has stepped down after heading the association for more than five years.
Vice president Alberto Salas has been chosen as... more