Santiago (Reuters) - The union at Chile's Escondida copper mine, the world's largest, signed a deal on Sunday with BHP, ending the risk of a further strike that could have threatened global supplies of the red metal.

Earlier in the day the union had sent a memo to members warning it might call another strike if the company did not "rectify its position" over contract talks.

The mine's powerful union had gone on strike on Tuesday over payment disputes and then come to a preliminary agreement on Friday to end it.