The Politics of Managing Codelco and Its Labour Force

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the dynamics and consequences of state–state (SOE) relations and capital–labour conflicts in Chile’s mining sector, through an analysis of Codelco’s role as an indirect mediator of the conflicts inherent in the neoliberal regime, serving as a buffer between the public and private. It examines the role of Codelco as the country pushed for a globalization strategy based on subjecting the state company to private sector standards of productivity and efficiency. It likewise evaluates Codelco’s performance and its competitiveness strategy. Finally, the chapter opens up the world of labour relations and conflicts in both public and private mining, demonstrating periodic episodes of political interventions as a function of the contradictions within Chile’s mineral resource governance model. The dynamics of Chile’s hybrid development strategy in the mining sector are most pronounced in the copper industry but are equally prevalent in the renewable energy sector surrounding lithium mining, as explored in the final section.