CMOC Congo copper mine offers bonuses, threats to stop strike

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s biggest copper mine said it would fire employees who refused to end strike action that briefly crimped output this week, while promising bonuses to those who didn’t participate.

Workers at Chinese mining giant CMOC Group Ltd.’s Tenke Fungurume Mining unit began a strike on June 1. The vast operation produced 519,000 tons of copper last year – about 15% of total supply from the Central African country.

Employees at the mine decided to protest a new collective bargaining agreement negotiated between TFM and a labor union delegation, Radio Okapi reported this week. The workers said they were excluded from the discussions and are seeking better pay conditions, including a housing allowance and improved healthcare, according to the United Nations-backed news organization.

TFM, in a letter to employees and contractors seen by Bloomberg News, said that the “illegal” strike “has had a significant impact on the company’s operations, leading to a disruption of production.”

A wave of Chinese investment has driven a boom in Congo’s copper output over the last decade, helping the country become the second-largest supplier of the metal that’s currently trading near an all-time high. Demand is expected to grow fast in the years to come due to consumption from electric vehicles, renewable energy, power grids and AI infrastructure.

Workers that weren’t involved in the strike will receive a “loyalty bonus” of $500, while anyone who was attacked for declining to take part will get double that amount “in recognition of their courage and their devotion,” TFM said in the letter. It said workers’ “legitimate” demands would be considered with the “greatest seriousness.”

TFM gave employees a deadline of last Wednesday night to return to their posts, saying those who complied would face no sanctions, while those who didn’t would be “subject to immediate dismissal proceedings.”

Striking employees have resumed work and operations are back to normal, TFM said by email.

TFM has begun an internal investigation to identify individuals responsible for aggression against colleagues and damaging company equipment, and will transfer findings to the Congolese authorities, according to the letter.

CMOC also owns a second mine in Congo called Kisanfu. Last year, the company extracted nearly 750,000 tons of copper from the pair of assets, which are also among the world’s top producers of battery metal cobalt.

(By William Clowes)