TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Kinross Gold Corp
The employees' strike at Compania Minera Mantos de Oro, a subsidiary of Kinross began after unsuccessful contract negotiations between the union and the company, Kinross said in a statement late on Wednesday.
The company said it is seeking a resolution that is "fair and equitable" to employees and returns the mine to full production as soon as possible.
La Coipa is an open pit gold and silver mine located in the Atacama region about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of Santiago.
In the first quarter of 2009, the mine produced about 66,000 gold equivalent ounces at a cost of sales of about $390 per ounce.
Toronto-based Kinross has mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Russia. It employs about 5,500 people worldwide.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha, editing by Matt Daily)
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