Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was almost flat at $10,007 a tonne.
Workers at BHP Group's Spence copper mine in top producer Chile said last week they had reached a new contract deal with the company, avoiding a strike.
The metal is mainly used in stainless steel, but demand for battery grade nickel for electric vehicles is expected to boom in as the world moves towards a lower-carbon economy.
Benchmark three-month nickel edged up 1.5% to $16,379 a tonne in official trading but was still on track for a weekly loss of about 11%, its biggest since September 2011.
Benchmark nickel on the London Metal Exchange was up 4.9% at $17,425 a tonne.
Earthquakes in Indonesia triggered nickel buying, but it's a knee-jerk reaction and I'm not sure these levels can be sustained as production hasn't really been affected.