Workers at the Rio Tinto copper smelting plant in Australia are planning to strike on Friday, affecting 300,000 tons of annual production capacity.

Due to the failure to reach an agreement on wage disputes, workers at Glencore's copper smelter in Australia have threatened to go on strike starting from Friday. The Australian Workers Union (AWU) issued a statement on Wednesday, stating that they have notified Glencore that if the company does not raise wages, employees will stop working and go on strike. The union stated that Glencore pays its workers nearly 15% lower wages compared to workers at nearby factories. Located in Townsville, Queensland, this smelter produces up to 300,000 tons of refined copper annually and is one of the largest refineries in Australia. It processes third-party raw materials, including some from the Olympic Dam mine area owned by BHP Group Ltd Sponsored American Depositary Receipt Repr 2 Shs(BHP.US). Over the past decade, rapid expansion of copper smelting and refining capacity in China has led to the closure of many higher-cost facilities globally, including in Australia. Glencore received $600 million Australian dollars (approximately $429 million USD) in assistance from the Australian federal and state governments to sustain the operations of both the Townsville refinery and its smelter in Mount Isa. The Australian Workers Union stated that Glencore and the union will hold a final meeting on Thursday. Stacey Schinnerl, the Secretary of the Queensland branch of the Australian Workers Union, stated in the declaration: "Despite Glencore's propensity to divest assets and lay off workers at the first sign of economic pressure, our members have been working hard to ensure the future of this refinery."