Cajamarquilla zinc refinery workers planning to down tools May 3

Workers at Votorantim Metais' Cajamarquilla zinc refinery in Peru plan to strike again next month to pressure for improved wages and working conditions after staging the first stoppage in 16 years earlier this week, the latest in ongoing labor unrest.

The Sitrazinc union will notify Peru's labor ministry of its intention to strike May 3, union general secretary Daniel Trejo told BNamericas.

About 650 workers at the refinery, on Lima's outskirts, previously held a 48-hour stoppage from April 19-20 after a worker was fatally electrocuted in an accident last month, Trejo said. It marked the third fatal accident at the refinery in the past two years, he said.

The union ended the stoppage, the first strike at the refinery since 2001, to give the company time to review a seven-point platform, Trejo said. About 95% of the refinery workers downed tools, he said.

"The company hasn't paid workers a share of profits since 2012 despite the rebound in metals prices," Trejo said in a telephone interview. "As they're not publicly-listed, it's difficult to track their earnings."

Votorantim's office in Lima did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

The refinery's operations were also hampered by widespread flooding last month caused by the El Niño phenomenon, which has left 106 dead and 170,000 homeless to date.

Votorantim, which also controls the Milpo and Atacocha zinc-lead-silver mines, refined 341,479t zinc, 89,43kg silver, 6,694t copper and 820t of cadmium last year, according to the energy and mines ministry (MEM). The company also has capacity to produce 76t/y indium, according to its website.

Votorantim, which acquired the refinery from Teck Cominco in 2004, completed a US$500mn expansion in 2010 to double installed capacity.

Peru, the world's third-largest zinc miner, produced 1.34Mt last year. Workers have also gone on strike over the past month at Southern Copper and at Freeport-McMoRan's Cerro Verde copper mine to pressure over the same issues.