More than 500 workers went on strike yesterday at Taseko Mines’ Gibraltar copper mine located in central British Columbia, Canada, after contract negotiations failed.
A communiqué from the Unifor union union states that contract negotiations began in February, but failed to reach an agreement with Taseko, as the miner allegedly “refused to negotiate the basic terms of a new collective bargaining agreement”.
Separately, Taseko Mines reported in an emailed statement that it halted mining and milling operations at the site, although it indicated that essential personnel remain on site to maintain critical systems.
In this regard, the company stated that it remains committed to the negotiation process, the company stated that it remains committed to the negotiation process and seeks to reach a fair and equitable and that it seeks to reach a fair and equitable agreement.
The Gibraltar mine is the only active mine
It is important to note that the Vancouver-based mining company has five mining projects in various stages of development, but Gibraltar is currently the only mine in active production.
Moreover, in March of this year, the company became the sole owner of the mine, which is the second largest open-pit copper mine in Canadawith a processing capacity of 85,000 tons per day (tpd) and an average annual life-of-mine copper production of 130 million pounds. It is also the largest employer in the Cariboo region of British Columbia.
Likewise, Taseko recorded in March of this year its highest historical revenues of US$525 million for 2023, mainly thanks to the contribution from the Gibraltar mine, which represented an increase of 34% compared to 2022.
In addition, the copper mine produced a total of 122.6 million pounds of copper last year, with an average recovery rate of 82.6% and a head grade of 0.25%. This production exceeded the company’s original guidance and was 26% higher than in 2022.
Finally, Taseko is close to commencing production at the Florence in-situ copper recovery (ISCR) mine in Arizona, USA, with expectations to start in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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Source and photos: tasekomines
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