Global miner BHP (ASX: BHP) has sued the workers' union at its Spence copper mine in Chile over two work stoppages that the company considers illegal because they took place outside a scheduled negotiating period, according to a court filing seen by Reuters on Thursday. In the lawsuit, BHP alleges that mine operations were "significantly" affected by "two illegal work stoppages" carried out in June and July. The company is seeking compensation of roughly $8.6 million.
According to the lawsuit, the union aimed to pressure the mine into paying a special bonus of 5 million pesos ($5,102) per member. That bonus was not included in the existing agreements, the filing shows. The union declined to comment.
BHP confirmed in a statement that it had filed the lawsuit. Spence is BHP's second-largest operation in Chile, a country where the company runs Escondida, the world's biggest copper mine. Source: Reuters, as reported by Mining.com (October 15, 2026).
Source: mining.com