UNIONS at Barrick Mining’s Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali have lodged a series of strike notices, threatening to disrupt operations at one of the country’s biggest gold producers from September 28, according to documents seen by Reuters.
The notices were submitted by workers at SOMILO SA and GOUNKOTO SA, the entities running the Loulo and Gounkoto mines respectively, as well as by staff at Barrick’s catering contractor Food & Events Africa and employees of Mali’s mining regulator and other administrative bodies, said Reuters.
The unions said action would go ahead unless the government and Barrick met demands on overtime pay, mission-expense reimbursements and outstanding labour agreements.
SOMILO and GOUNKOTO workers have called four-day walkouts from September 28 to October 1 over demands first raised in February, while FEA staff plan a five-day strike from September 28 to October 2 tied to unresolved overtime and welfare agreements.
Workers at the National Directorate of Geology and Mines and related agencies intend a 72-hour stoppage from September 29 to October 1 over unpaid wages, allowances and bonuses.
The threatened action comes as Bamako’s military government tightens its grip on the sector to capture a larger share of mining revenue, said Reuters.
It handed operational control of Loulo-Gounkoto back to Barrick in December after nearly a year of state administration during a dispute, though output remains below pre-dispute levels at around 190,000 ounces in the first half of 2026.
