Reuters AlertNet Lite - Train carrying Codelco copper attacked, derailed

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Train carrying Codelco copper attacked, derailed

26 Jul 2007 18:42:06 GMT
Source: Reuters

SANTIAGO, July 26 (Reuters) - A train transporting copper concentrate from a mine owned by Chile's Codelco was derailed on Thursday, in an act of sabotage the company said was linked to a strike by subcontracted workers.

It said the train and seven wagons came off the tracks at around 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) near the town of Los Andes, 50 miles (80 km) north of Santiago.

Some 500 kilograms of copper concentrate spilled from the wagons after the track was sabotaged.

"Criminal acts like this undoubtedly delegitimize any labor demands and put people's lives at risks," Daniel Trivelli, the head of Codelco's Andina division, said in a statement.

The train was carrying copper from the town of Saladillo, near the Andina mine, to the company's Ventanas copper smelter on the coast.

Codelco described the incident as "one more in a series of attacks on the convoys transporting copper concentrate to the port of Ventanas."

Subcontracted workers at Codelco, the world's largest copper miner, have been on strike for over a month in a bid to squeeze more money from the company.

Occasionally, the protests have turned violent. Protesters have set fire to buses, ransacked a Codelco company office and attacked trucks carrying copper from mines.

Codelco, which supplied 11 percent of the world's copper last year, suspended all activities at its Andina division for more than a week after a bus driver was seriously injured during disturbances linked to the strike.

Production at Andina has since resumed but Codelco's smallest division, Salvador, remains inoperative after protesters picketed the mine, refusing to let staff enter.

Chilean media reported clashes on Thursday between protesters and police outside Salvador, which accounted for less than 5 percent of company output last year.

Crucially for Codelco -- and for the supply of copper to world markets -- the strike has had virtually no impact on the company's giant Codelco Norte division, which last year accounted for 56 percent of the company's output.

Codelco and strike leaders have been locked in talks in Santiago since late last week in a bid to resolve the dispute, so far without success.

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Last updated:Thu Jul 26 18:42:52 2007