Reuters: U.S.: Chilean ports near strike end, waiting on Valparaiso OK

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Chilean ports near strike end, waiting on Valparaiso OK Apr 6th 2013, 02:52 SANTIAGO | Fri Apr 5, 2013 10:52pm EDT SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A deal has been reached to end a massive port strike that has slammed copper, forestry and fruit exports in the world's top red metal producer Chile but depends on agreement from the port of Valparaiso, a unions leader told Reuters late on Friday. If Valparaiso agrees to lift the strike, port activities could restart around 8.00 a.m. Saturday (1100 GMT), the union leader in the key Angamos port said. Otherwise, the stoppage will continue, he added. Another port union leader said earlier on Friday the strike was set to be lifted. But two sources close to negotiations then told Reuters that workers at the Valparaiso port were asking for guarantees there would be "no retaliation" for the stoppage, thus delaying the strike from ending. The sources asked to remain anonymous to avoid derailing negotiations. Other ports in export-dependent Chile had joined the strike in the northern port of Angamos in Mejillones, which started roughly three weeks ago, out of solidarity. Angamos launched the strike to seek a 30-minute lunch break and other minor benefits. What some observers call poor management of a simple, specific worker issue then ballooned into a serious drag on miners and export-dependent Chile. The strike halted around 9,000 tonnes of copper from leaving Chilean ports every day, the government had said. The Andean country has lost more than $200 million a day due to the conflict, according to the country's business chamber. Mining industry sources say it will take weeks to return to normal shipping operations once the strike is lifted because of the congestion in ports. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Philip Barbara and Michael Perry) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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