Chilean port workers halt 3-week strike over benefits

Workers reached a deal with Ultraport for better benefits and conditions Port workers in Chile have ended a nearly three-week-long strike that paralysed shipments of copper, one of the South American nation's primary industries, labor organisers said on Saturday. "As of now, workers are free to resume working," read a statement issued by the Chilean Port Workers Union.
Workers said they reached an accord with the private Ultraport firm, which runs the port in Mejillones in northern Chile, allowing them at least half an hour for lunch and improved benefits.
Labour Minister Evelyn Matthei took part in the negotiations that led to the agreement to end the strike, which was reached late on Friday.
The work stoppage had spread to another eight Chilean ports, blocking shipments of some 9,000 tonnes of copper each day, along with some fruit exports.
The additional ports shut down in solidarity with longshoremen in Mejillones. They included the normally bustling ports Valparaiso and San Antonio in central Chile where much of the fruit is handled.
The world's biggest copper producer, Chile churns out 5.6 million tonnes of the metal each year, roughly a third of global production.