El Cerrejon Coal Output Returns to Normal

According to Dow Jones, a meeting between union officials with the president of Cerrejon and Colombia’s vice president in an effort to reach an agreement and avoid a strike that could paralyze operations in Colombia’s largest coal mine. A strike at Cerrejon, equally owned by mining giants Xstrata PLC, Anglo American PLC and BHP Billiton, would hurt Colombia’s coal exports. Colombia ranks as one of the world’s top coal producers, with output at 76 million mt in 2010. Cerrejon’s coal exports in 2010 were 31.4 million mt. The negotiations between the union and Cerrejon focus on the workers’ demands for a salary increase.