Workers at Rusal's Guinea bauxite mine go on strike (updated)

Compagnie des Alpes SA

26/05/2022 15:13

(Adds bauxite production figures)
    CONAKRY, May 26 (Reuters) - Workers at Russian aluminium
giant Rusal's  RUAL.MM  Guinea subsidiary Compagnie des Bauxites
de Dian Dian (COBAD) went on strike on Thursday, a union leader
told Reuters. 
    Rusal did not immediately reply to a request for comment,
and it was not immediately clear whether production at the COBAD
bauxite mine was continuing.
    The workers at COBAD are demanding better working conditions
and a salary increase, union leader Yamoussa Bangoura said by
telephone, adding that COBAD was given notice of a strike on May
7.
    "We have asked everyone to stop working until our demands
are met," Bangoura said. Workers decided to strike after talks
with COBAD management on Wednesday were inconclusive, he said. 
    Guinea is the world's second-largest producer of bauxite, an
ore used to make aluminium, and a key supplier of bauxite to
China. It produced 83 million tonnes of bauxite in 2021,
Guinea's mines ministry statistics showed.
    COBAD produced 3.59 million tonnes of bauxite last year,
while Rusal's other Guinea operation, Compagnie des Bauxites de
Kindia, produced 2.65 million tonnes, according to the mines
ministry. 
    COBAD had stopped exporting bauxite from Guinea for nearly a
month in March as Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted Rusal's
supply chains.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2W40WZ  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2VV3JU  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2VI1I2

 (Reporting by Saliou Samb in Conakry; Additional reporting by
Helen Reid in Johannesburg; Editing by David Evans and Mark
Porter)
 ((Helen.Reid@thomsonreuters.com; +27 66 156 5214;))