Compañía Minera Xstrata Lomas Bayas has successfully concluded an early collective bargaining process between the company’s management and the leaders of its unionised and non-unionised workers.  

After a period of intense meetings, both groups of workers accepted the company’s offer. As a result, a total of 555 workers will receive increased remuneration and benefits.

“The agreement reached with our workers is the result of a respectful and trusting relationship,” said Lomas Bayas General Manager, Luis Rosales. “Agreements are achieved when all parties demonstrate flexibility, understanding and a high level of communication.”  

The new collective contracts will come into force on 1 November 2011 for a period of 36 months. This agreement is the result of responsible negotiations by all the parties that have taken into account both workers’ contributions and the company’s current business conditions.  

The agreement will allow the company to continue to build a better future and confirms the high standard of workplace relations achieved by Compañía Minera Xstrata Lomas Bayas as part of its management framework and Sustainable Development Policy.  

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Contact Lomas Bayas

Pabla Orellana
Superintendent for Communications and Public Affairs
Tel: +5655 628793; Mobile: + 569 7519 65 13
E-mail: porellana@xstratacopper.cl

Note to Editors

ABOUT LOMAS BAYAS

The Lomas Bayas open-pit mine, which has Chile’s lowest cut-off ore grade, produces 75,000 tonnes of copper cathodes annually. Located in the Sierra Gorda municipal district, 110 km northeast of the city of Antofagasta in northern Chile’s Antofagasta Region, it started operations in 1998 and is today part of the South American Operations Division of Xstrata Copper. The Lomas Bayas II project, which is currently under construction, will extend the operation’s useful life by at least 11 years, maintaining its annual production level of 75,000 tonnes of copper cathodes. A further project, Lomas Bayas Sulphides, is currently the subject of a pre-feasibility study.  

ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER

Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with attributable mined production in 2010 of 913,500 tonnes of copper in cathodes and concentrates. The company is also one of the world’s largest producers of smelter and refined copper, including from third party materials.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its mining and metallurgical operations and development projects span eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Peru, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the United States. Its operations and projects are administered through a regional divisional management structure, which ensures that critical decisions are made close to the related businesses. Xstrata Copper also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.