Miners in Peru have ended a week-long nationwide strike, but continue to press Congress to pass a bill that would provide better pay and labor benefits.

Peru's deputy labor minister, Jorge Villasante, told reporters Sunday that the strike would end at midnight.  A labor leader, Vidal Espinoza, confirmed the information with Reuters news agency.

Bloomberg news agency reports the workers voted to end the walkout after the government declared the strike illegal last week. The declaration made it easier for supervisors to fire workers who do not show up to work.

Workers at five mining companies dropped out of the strike last week.

The union is urging Peru's Congress to pass a law improving pensions and eliminating caps on profit sharing so that workers can benefit from record high metal prices.

This was the third strike by Peru's miners in just over a year. 

Peru is the world's largest silver producer and a major supplier of copper, zinc and gold.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.