 Global miner BHP Group Ltd said on Wednesday its Escondida copper mine in Chile, the worlds largest, had offered some workers the option for early retirement amid the coronavirus pandemic, a plan blasted by the company s union as a scheme to oust the old and sick. Escondida said in a statement to Reuters the offer would provide an improved package of retirement benefits to workers who met its requirements. Government mandates have already required the most vulnerable workers be sidelined to protect their health. 