BHP and striking union at Escondida fail to resume formal talks

SANTIAGO/ANTOFAGASTA (Reuters) -Mining group BHP and the striking union at its Escondida copper mine in Chile failed to restart formal negotiations after a preliminary meeting earlier in the day, the union said on Wednesday.

The union began a strike on Tuesday at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, after contract negotiations collapsed.

The preliminary meeting to restart negotiations started early Wednesday, after the union refused a similar meeting on Tuesday, but in a subsequent statement it continued to accuse the company of "anti-union" practices by replacing workers.

It said it had to consult workers about new proposals from the company but was given a 2 p.m. deadline to do this, which didn't allow enough time to consult its membership.

It said the strike was keeping the Los Colorados concentration and electrowinning plants completely offline.

BHP did not immediately respond to a request for comment but said the mine continued operating under its contingency plan.

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 the strike hurt Chile's GDP.

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 and David Holmes)