Chilean striking miners agree to government mediation

Striking miners at the world's largest copper mine in Chile agreed to the government mediation on Tuesday.

The union representing miners of Escondida Mine in northern Chile accepted a proposal to have Chile's Labor Bureau mediate between them and the Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton, which owns the operation.

"We hope this process ... allows the parties to get closer, so this strike can end as soon as possible," government spokesperson Paula Narvaez said.

Union representatives are to meet on Wednesday morning with regional labor officials in Antofagasta.

Each day the miners on strike represents a loss in output of more than 3,400 tons of copper, according to the Mining Ministry.

The strike "could have quite a strong impact on our economy, which is quite dependent on copper exports and sales," Erich Schnake, the undersecretary of mining, said, according to the daily El Mercurio.

The price of copper rose to a 20-month high on Monday, on worries the strike would affect global supply.

Miners at northern Chile's Escondida mine walked off the job on Thursday, after their demands for wage increases were rebuffed by management. Enditem