BHP RACES TO AVERT STRIKE AT TOP COPPER MINE

BHP and the supervisors' union at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, reach the final day of government-mediated talks in Chile today before a strike can legally be called. 94.8% of voting union members -955 of 1,020- backed the walkout after rejecting BHP's contract offer, a result that lands while copper trades near $6.66 a pound, a level that is emboldening workers to push for a bigger share of mining profits. Escondida alone produces about 2,877 tonnes of copper a day, and any stoppage there would ripple through the broader market. $BHP is negotiating its toughest labor standoff of the year.