WORKERS at Tenke Fungurume Mining, CMOC Group’s flagship copper operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have returned to work after the company threatened dismissal for those who refused to end strike action that disrupted production, said Bloomberg News in a June 5 report.
Employees at the mine began striking on June 1 in protest at a new collective bargaining agreement negotiated between TFM and a labour union delegation, which workers said excluded them from discussions. They were seeking improved pay conditions including a housing allowance and better healthcare.
TFM described the strike as illegal and said it had caused significant operational disruption. The company gave workers a deadline of the night of June 3 to return to their posts, warning that those who failed to comply would face immediate dismissal. Those who had not participated in the strike were offered a $500 loyalty bonus, while employees attacked for refusing to strike would receive $1,000 — recognised in the letter for their courage and devotion., said Bloomberg.
TFM said workers’ legitimate grievances would be considered seriously. It has launched an internal investigation to identify those responsible for aggression against colleagues and equipment damage, with findings to be referred to Congolese authorities.
CMOC confirmed the strike had ended and said the impact on production was small. Tenke Fungurume produced 519,000 tons of copper last year, roughly 15% of Congo’s total output. Together with CMOC’s second Congolese operation, Kisanfu, the company extracted nearly 750,000 tons of copper from the country in 2024. Both mines are also major cobalt producers.
Congo has become the world’s second-largest copper supplier on the back of substantial Chinese investment over the past decade. Copper is currently trading near record highs, with demand expected to accelerate further driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, power infrastructure and AI data centres.
