Bamako – A workers’ strike at B2Gold’s flagship mine in southwest Mali has reduced mining operations to just 25% of its capacity, two employees at the mine told Reuters on Tuesday.
Between 1,875 and 2,000 workers at B2Gold’s Fekola mine in Mali launched the seven-day strike on Nov. 29 over the dismissal of some of their colleagues, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Responding to a request for comment, the Vancouver-based miner said mining operations at Fekola were continuing at a reduced capacity, although “well in excess” of the 25% reported by the sources.
On Dec. 2, B2Gold said the industrial action was triggered by steps taken by the company against a few employees who had engaged in alleged illegal activities.
The Fekola plant was operating normally and output was expected to be towards the lower end of an earlier forecast range of 420,000 ounces to 450,000 ounces of gold this year, it said in a statement.
Karim Fomba, national secretary of the civil construction, mining and energy union, said the strikers’ main demand is for the company to reinstate the employees who were dismissed.
“A court decision has certified that the dismissals were abusive, but the mine management has not implemented the decision,” he told Reuters.
Fekola is B2Gold’s biggest mine and among the largest operations in the West African country.
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(Reporting by Portia Crowe, Tiemoko Diallo and Fadimata Kontao; Additional Reporting by Felix Njini; Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Louise Heavens)
