A union at the Candelaria copper mine in Chile has accepted Canadian operator Lundin Mining’s collective agreement offer.

The Candelaria AOS Union accepted the last formal offer presented by Candelaria on 12 November. The union represents about 550 workers at Lundin’s Candelaria operations.

Lundin said that it was assessing a safe resumption of partial operations at the mine site.

The company told Reuters that the proposal of the new agreement comprises increases in allocations and payments for closing the negotiations of CLP17.5m ($22,800).

In a press statement, Lundin Mining stated: “Candelaria is committed to responsible, respectful, and fair negotiations with the best interests of our workers and the sustainability of our business in mind.

“As part of the collective bargaining cycle, Candelaria is in the legislated negotiation process with the two supervisor unions, which combined represent approximately 230 associates. An agreement was reached with the LMC AOS Union during advanced negotiations in May 2020.”

Meanwhile, Candelaria Mine Workers Union, which represents around 350 workers at the facility, continues its ongoing strike.

The Candelaria copper mine announced plans to halt operations at the mine on 20 October after the two unions called on their workers to start a strike action.

Located in Chile’s Atacama Region, the Candelaria copper mining complex comprises two adjacent copper mining operations, Candelaria and Ojos del Salado.

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In November 2014, Lundin Mining acquired an 80% ownership stake in the Candelaria and Ojos del Salado copper mining operations for $1.8bn from Freeport-McMoRan.