Peru’s only tin mine is reported to have been hit by a walk-out by workers taking part in a national mining strike which began at the start of this week.
A union leader told Reuters yesterday that all 1,120 workers at Minsur’s San Rafael mine had joined the strike. Other sources have reported that only workers employed by contractors at the mine have been involved.
The operation is the largest individual tin mine in the world, producing 38,462 tonnes of tin-in-concentrate in 2006 and 9,633 tonnes in the first quarter of 2007.
Other mines producing copper, zinc, silver and iron ore are also reported to have been affected since Monday, but Peru’s labour ministry has said that the majority of operations in the country continue to operate normally.
