Bloomberg reported that copper workers at Teck Resources Inc’s Quebrada Blanca mine in Chile will vote on the company’s last wage proposal before deciding whether to go on strike at the 86,200 tonne per year unit.

Mr Jorge Flores Union leader said that workers can call a strike as early as tomorrow under Chilean rules after the Vancouver based company requested extended talks to renew a contract that expired January 31st. Chilean rules give employers five business days to extend wage talks after a contract ends, before workers can decide on a strike.

Global copper supply was disrupted last year by a series of strikes in Chile, Indonesia and Peru. Teck produces about 1.6% of Chile’s output of the metal. The South American country produces about a third of the world’s copper. At its Andacollo mine, Teck used an extension to negotiate an agreement with workers on January 7th 2012.

(Sourced from Bloomberg.net)