The strike at Chilean copper mine Dona Ines de Collahuasi entered its 14th day Thursday as the company hopes workers will break away starting Friday following their sweetened final offer.

Late Wednesday, the company presented an improved final offer, with a net signing bonus of around $29,000 and better benefits.

Chilean labor laws stipulate that a striking union member can break away from the strike and negotiate individually on the fifteenth day of the industrial action.

"We've seen some workers interested in accepting our final offer," company spokeswoman Bernardita Fernandez said.

Meanwhile, output at the mine remains normal, she added. Collahuasi has been meeting its commitments, with a shipment leaving for Europe earlier this week.

The mine is one the biggest copper mines in the world and is owned by diversified mining companies Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN) and Anglo American PLC (AAUKY, AAL.LN), each with a 44% stake. A consortium led by Mitsui & Co. (MITSY, 8031.TO) holds the remaining 12%.

It is located 185 kilometers southeast of the port of Iquique, high in the Andes mountains at 4,400 meters above sea level and produces about 500,000 metric tons of copper a year, or about 10% of Chile's annual output.

Chile is the world's leading copper producer, accounting for about 35% of global output.

-By Carolina Pica, Dow Jones Newswires; 56-2-715-8919; carolina.pica@dowjones.com
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