Peru's Buenaventura miners to strike again

LIMA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Workers at mines owned by Peru's largest precious metals miner, Buenaventura (BUEv.LM) (BVN.N), said on Tuesday they plan to resume their strike starting on March 4.

Workers, who walked off the job on Feb. 13 and returned a week later, want Buenaventura to share with them information about its finances between 2006 and 2009.

"The unions are presenting papers to the company today and will register the strike at the Labor Ministry tomorrow," Luis Castillo, head of the country's largest federation of mine workers, told Reuters.

Local union leaders said the new work stoppage would start on March 4 and be at the Orcopampa and Antapite gold mines, as well as at the Uchucchacua silver mine.

Last week's strike halted production at Orcopampa and Uchucchacua. It also crimped output at Antapite, although the company declined to say at what capacity the mine was operating during the strike.

The Labor Ministry had declared last week's walkout illegal, saying the union failed to meet legal requirements -- a move that gave Buenaventura leeway to start firing workers. Miners returned to work to avoid losing their jobs.

The ministry almost always declares strikes in the mining sector illegal.

Antapite produced 965,227 fine grams of gold last year, while Uchucchacua ground out 286,039 fine kg of silver and Orcopampa produced 8,549,730 fine grams of gold, according to the Mining Ministry.

Mining companies in Peru must share 8 percent of their profits with employees, and workers say Buenaventura has underreported its earnings.

The company has said Peru's tax agency is reviewing its tax law compliance and that it expects a favorable outcome.

Besides the mines it operates directly, Buenaventura holds minority stakes in two other Peruvian mines -- Yanacocha -- one of Latin America's largest gold mines, and Cerro Verde (CVE.LM), a major copper pit.

Globally, Peru ranks No. 1 in silver production and sixth in gold.