en.Wedoany.com Reported - Albemarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB), one of the world's largest lithium compound producers, announced on June 9, 2026, that it has completed the second round of early collective bargaining and reached an agreement with the SPAT union (Supervisory, Professional, Administrative, and Technical Workers Union), which represents workers at its La Negra plant, Salar de Atacama facility, and Santiago office in Chile. The agreement covers 386 workers, and the negotiation process was characterized by constructive dialogue, aimed at proactively managing labor relations and enhancing trust and collaboration.
Founded in 1887 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Albemarle is a leading specialty chemicals company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with operations spanning three segments: lithium chemicals, bromine specialty chemicals, and refining catalysts. Its lithium chemicals business ranks first globally. Albemarle is one of the world's largest lithium compound producers, with over 40 years of operational history in Chile. It has partnered with Chile's Production Development Corporation (CORFO) to develop the lithium industry and is a pioneer in Chile's lithium sector. The company employs over 1,100 workers in Chile, approximately 80% of whom come from the Antofagasta region.
Albemarle operates two major production bases in Chile: the Salar de Atacama facility, located in the heart of the Atacama Desert, extracts lithium from brine and increases lithium concentration to 6% through solar evaporation; and the La Negra chemical plant, situated 27 kilometers southeast of the city of Antofagasta, produces technical-grade and battery-grade lithium carbonate through purification and chemical conversion processes. The La Negra plant was originally built in 1984, with the most modern Plant II in Latin America commissioned in 2017, and Plant III launched in June 2022, making it one of the world's largest lithium carbonate production bases with an annual capacity exceeding 85,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate. In 2017, Albemarle signed an agreement with CORFO extending its extraction contract to 2043, authorizing an annual production increase to 82,000 tons, and committing approximately $300 million to research and development.
The SPAT union covers technical, professional, administrative, and supervisory personnel at the La Negra plant, Salar de Atacama facility, and the corporate headquarters in Santiago. Early collective bargaining helps reduce operational uncertainty, avoiding longer statutory negotiation cycles and potential labor conflict risks. This agreement comes at a critical time when global energy transition and the electric vehicle battery supply chain are driving sustained demand for lithium, making the stable operation of Chile's Salar de Atacama strategically important for maintaining global lithium supply.
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