Peruvian copper producer Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde SA (CVERDEC1.VL) and striking union workers are meeting Thursday following a government ruling earlier this week that gave them until Nov. 15 to resolve the walkout, a union official said.

Union workers walked off the job on Sept. 29 to back demands for higher pay at Peru's third biggest copper producer. Cerro Verde has been operating the mine with supervisors and volunteer personnel.

If no deal is reached by Nov. 15, the ruling said Peru's government will resolve the strike, union leader Leoncio Amudio said.

Amudio said during a telephone interview Thursday that the company's offer and worker demands remain "distanced," but that an agreement could still be reached.

Cerro Verde operates in southern Peru. It produced 157 million pounds of copper in the third quarter of this year, down from 165 million pounds in the same period in 2010.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) has a majority stake in Cerro Verde.

Peru is the world's second biggest copper producer.

-By Ryan Dube, Dow Jones Newswires; 51-945 043 802; peru@dowjones.com

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