According to Sonami, this decision would deprive the company of its “most important asset in terms of assets and future generation of income outside the exploitation”, slipping that the offer that it would be interweaving with Codelco does not maximize the value of the asset, which mostly belongs to the Teck company.

"The decision to sell Enami's 10% stake in the Quebrada Blanca (QB) Project to Codelco, we estimate that it would mean its definitive closure, an issue that we will not allow under any point of view," are part of the warnings issued by Sonami. in a letter delivered to President Gabriel Boric.

As revealed at the beginning of July, the copper company would be considering buying Enami's participation in the aforementioned project, for which it would disburse some US$500 million, giving the state company a break in the midst of the crisis it is going through and further strengthening the Codelco's role in the copper market.

This news has led to criticism from the trade association, where they have declared themselves in a “state of alert” in case the transaction of 10% of Enami's ownership in QB were to be completed, highlighting the “lack of support” that, They say, the state has suffered, which a few months ago had to paralyze the operations of the Paipote Foundry.

According to Sonami, this decision would deprive the company of its “most important asset in terms of assets and future generation of income outside the exploitation”, slipping that the offer that it would be interweaving with Codelco does not maximize the value of the asset, which mostly belongs to the Teck company.

“An agreement between four walls lacks legitimacy, since agreements made without the required transparency generate all kinds of doubts in the sector we represent and in public opinion,” the letter adds.

The groups emphasized how Enami plays a relevant role in small-scale mining and employment in the communities where the mines are located, ensuring that between 2008 and 2015, annual direct and indirect jobs at the Paipote Smelter reached just over 9 thousand, 98% originating from the area.

All “in a regional labor market that reaches 125 thousand jobs”, the closure of the facilities means a hard blow to the local economy.

For all this, plus the increase in costs that this decision brought for small miners, Sonami asked that the Government design a capitalization plan that leads to sustainable growth for Enami.

An increase in the level of extraction by small miners is also detailed, above the current 5 thousand tons per month; a differentiation between new projects and old sites in environmental evaluation procedures, in addition to facilitating the increase in treatment capacity in productive plants of at least 20%, in the next 5 years, for one time.

“As a union, we are interested in taking decisive action to allow and boost the development of mining operations and increase production volumes, which have been stagnant for more than 15 years, and decisions such as the one that motivates this letter do no more. "to increase the doubts that prevent more and better ventures in mining," they noted.