Colombian coal miner Cerrejon and union extend negotiation period

Cerrejon, one of Colombia’s main coal producers, and its largest union have extended negotiations which started at the end of January by a further 20 days, the parties said on Monday.

Cerrejon, which is equally owned by BHP Group, Anglo American, and Glencore, exported 26.3-million tonnes of coal in 2019 and has nearly 5 900 employees, of which 4 600 are union members

The talks, which started last month, seek to reach an agreement with workers ahead of the expiration of their current contract this month.

The initial negotiation period concluded on Saturday, with both groups agreeing to extend talks until March 6. If there is no agreement following this next phase of negotiations, the union will call on members to vote between going on strike or seeking arbitration.