Lithium production at Albemarle’s Salar de Atacama extraction plant has remained constant despite a strike by one of the unions, the US-based lithium miner has indicated.
In a statement on Wednesday, Albemarle assured that they have followed their contingency plan to ensure operational continuity of El Salar, which is located south of the Antofagasta project, as well as the supply of lithium brine to its La Negra processing plant.
Albemarle´s lithium sales rose 13pc in Q2 2021 to $320mn from $283.7mn in the same quarter a year ago.
The company explained that it has already signed collective bargain agreements with the other three unions that operate in this plant. The 135-member Albemarle Salar union is the only one that went on strike despite the company claiming to have submitted its four offers.
The strike broke out on Aug 11 and has continued since after workers demanded a bonus at the higher-end of what was agreed with the other three unions, the company said.