A bitter strike at the world’s largest copper mine looks set to drag on with the two sides further away from agreement than ever.

Workers at the Escondida mine in Chile downed tools at the start of February in a row over the terms of a new three-year contract.

The mine, majority owned and operated by FTSE 100 giant BHP Billiton, turned out more than one million tonnes of the red metal last year, and its stoppage has boosted global copper prices.