Peru’s mining unions take issue with Barrick Gold

The industrial relations difficulties that have dogged Peru’s copper mining industry this year look set to spread to the gold mining sector.

Production at Barrick Gold’s Pierina mine is currently under threat, with workers having voted in favour of strike action earlier this week.

Barrick Gold is Peru’s second largest gold producer, operating the Pierina and Lagunas Norte gold mines.

The Pierina mine it located in the Callejón de Huaylas region of the Peruvian Andes.

A meeting is to be held between Barrick, the Peruvian Government and union officials to explore ways of averting the strike, which is over pay.

The country’s National Federation of Mining, Metallurgy, and Steel Workers Union has also been in dispute with Southern Copper, part of Grupo Mexico.

Workers at Southern Copper’s mines have discontinued their strike but the union has recently threatened to resume the walkout if Peru’s labor ministry is unsuccessful in persuading the company to increase pay.

In addition, the union claims that at least 38 miners’ unions have voted to embark on a national strike on 5th November.

This strike is in protest at the government’s failure to enact legislation covering the use of subcontracted labour in the mining sector.