Bloomberg reported that Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc’s Cerro Verde copper mine in Peru is operating at 40% capacity as the company uses non union staff to run operations while unionized workers strike.

Mr William Camacho union official said that the company is using about half of the company’s non union staff and supervisors to operate the mine located 20 miles southwest of Arequipa during the dispute over pay.

Mr Camacho said that workers will attend government mediated talks to resolve the dispute on October 20th 2011. We are prepared to make one last effort to resolve the differences.

Freeport is seeking to negotiate a new wage contract after the previous one expired August 31st 2011. The company is operating its larger Grasberg mine in Indonesia at 50% capacity after stopping operations because of a workers blockade and a shooting at the mine site last week.

(Sourced from Bloomberg.net)