Centinela Copper Mine Strike Could Hit Antofagasta Production

A labor strike set to begin at Antofagasta’s Centinela copper mine in Chile could significantly affect production and financial results if the stoppage continues, while also potentially delaying a planned concentrator expansion.

The strike was set to begin after mandatory mediation between Antofagasta and the Minera Esperanza and Distrito Centinela unions failed to produce an agreement. The unions represent more than 700 workers.

The dispute centers on pay and benefit disparities among employees doing identical jobs in different unions. The labor action would be the first strike at Centinela.

“Antofagasta is facing its first-ever strike at the Centinela copper mine in Chile,” Natalia Corfield, JPMorgan’s head of Latin America corporate credit research, wrote, describing the action as set to begin after the failed mediation.

Centinela produced 240,400 metric tons of copper in 2025, representing more than 35% of Antofagasta’s total output. A prolonged stoppage could therefore weigh on the company’s production and financial results, while delaying the timing of the mine’s concentrator expansion.

Antofagasta has previously resolved potential work stoppages before they became strikes. In 2020, a dispute involving rejected contracts and an extension of government mediation ended in an agreement without an actual strike.