Australian miner BHP Billiton's two coal mines will face strikes during the weekend over a new labor agreement. Stephen Smyth, district president of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union stated that three unions negotiating regarding the agreement plan 12-hour strikes at the Gregory and Blackwater mines in Queensland state jointly owned by BHP Billiton and Japan-based Mitsubishi Corp.
On the other hand, Brazil-based mining giant Vale is also facing a work slowdown next week. The workers union Metabase has stated that workers will decide on Friday whether to stop or slow down production. If the workers go through with the slowdown strike, this will be a first for Vale which does not usually deal with labor-related issues.