A strike by miners at Bolivia’s Huanuni mine has now lasted a week, with all the workforce reported to have stopped work. The strike has followed a dispute over bonus payments for high levels of production achieved at the end of last year. The mine produced some 9,300 tonnes of tin-in-concentrate in 2009, up 18% on the previous year.
Production at the mine exceeded 1,000 tonnes in November, and union leader Irineo Martinez told the local EFE news agency that this “historic” achievement warranted payments of bonuses equivalent to 15% of salaries. Company management claims that a 10% payment had already been agreed and is not willing to increase this. Local observers suggest that cash flow problems related to late payments for concentrates delivered to the Vinto smelter may also be an issue.
