Chile's Collahuasi fires 31 workers after strike, says union

SANTIAGO, June 19 (Reuters) - Chile's Collahuasi copper mine has fired 31 workers for participating in a strike earlier this week, the union representing the miners and the company said on Friday.

Union No. 1 at Collahuasi, which led a 24-hour strike on Monday over working conditions and benefits, said it would take legal actions against the company.

"These persons had a history of serious warnings, and by participating in this illegal strike they gravely breached their work contracts, which is why they were let go," said Collahuasi.

Chile's Mining Federation, a union umbrella organization, said the company's measures were "abusive" and said that labor actions would continue.

Collahuasi, one of the world's largest copper mines, is a partnership between Glencore Plc (Xetra: A1JAGV - news) and Anglo American Plc (LSE: AAL.L - news) .

In 2014, Collahuasi produced around 470,400 tonnes of copper, or nearly 8 percent of top producer Chile's total output.

Chile, which produces a third of the world's copper, is struggling with dwindling ore grades in many of its aging deposits, although new mines and recoveries in troubled ones are pushing up overall output. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Fabian Cambero; Editing by Richard Chang)