Unionized miners launch strike against contractors in Peru

Unionized workers have gone on strike at some of Peru's biggest mines to demand a law be struck down that they say hurts their earnings and bargaining power by promoting the use of contractors.

Union federation secretary Marcos Sarca says at least 20,000 of the country's 70,000 unionized miners walked off the job Monday.

Peru's mining sector employs about 200,000 workers, most non-union.

A key strikers' demand is that a 2008 law be overturned that made it easier for mining companies to rely on contractors.

Peru offers incentives like few other nations — including weakened environmental enforcement — to attract foreign mining investment. The sector accounts for 62 percent of exports.

One result has been violent anti-mining unrest, which has claimed three lives since mid-April.