BHP and striking union at Escondida mine discuss return to formal negotiations

SANTIAGO/ANTOFAGASTA (Reuters) -The striking union at BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile is meeting with management to see if they can "bring positions closer," said a source with knowledge of the matter on Wednesday.

The union began a strike on Tuesday at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, after contract negotiations fell apart. The meeting did not constitute a formal restart of talks and was a preliminary meeting to discuss a return to formal negotiations, the source said.

BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment but the union confirmed the meeting to Reuters.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the union said the strike was keeping the Los Colorados concentration and electrowinning plants completely offline, and continued to accuse the company of "anti-union" practices by replacing workers.

A few hundred workers began building an encampment at Puerto Coloso in the northern city of Antofagasta on Wednesday, BHP's exclusive port for shipments, which also houses its desalination plants, according to a Reuters witness.

A report by BTG Pactual, a Brazilian investment bank, said that BHP could lose between $25 million and $30 million a day if the strike goes on like the 2017 strike that lasted 44 days. It added that Chile's GDP dropped 1.9% year-on-year in February due to that strike.

Aurora Williams, Chile's mining minister, said she hoped talks could resume, adding that collective bargaining in the country is well-regulated and the government does not participate in the process.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero in Santiago; Cristian Rudolffi in Antofagasta; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon and Alexander Villegas; editing by Jonathan Oatis)