THERE was fresh trouble for Resolute Mining after employees at its Syama mine in Mali went out on strike over Covid-19 related temporary layoffs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Reuters.
Some production was continuing at the mine but about 95% of employees had downed tools, Karim Fomba, the general secretary of the union at Syama told Reuters. “Production has not stopped,” another employee said on condition of anonymity.
The action follows a proposed strike at the mine in September that led to a 15,000 ounce production delay before the Australian miner’s Malian subsidiary reached an agreement with the National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM), said Reuters.
The dispute centres on the mine’s decision to put some workers on paid furlough and others on unpaid leave during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fomba said by phone.
Resolute, which owns 80% of Syama to the Malian government’s 20% stake, had forecast the mine’s 2020 gold output reaching 167,859 ounces before the latest production slowdown. UNTM, which says it represents 80% of unionised mine workers in the country, launched a broader 72-hour strike in November to push for better pay and bonuses.
In an update, Reuters cited Resolute as saying that the strike mainly related to a return to pre-Covid-19 rosters and workers’ demands were consistent with those voiced in September.
Resolute parted ways with its CEO, John Welborn, in October in which it said it was seeking an operational improvement. Stuart Gale, Resolute’s CFO and a former executive at Fortescue Metals Group, has been appointed interim CEO whilst a replacement for Welborn is sought.
