Miners ask for pay rise

BULQIZE, July 6 – Some 700 miners have started a strike in the northern town of Bulqiza asking for a pay rise. The mine is owned by the Austrian company ACR, which has threatened to close for some months unless they go back to work, according to the miners.
They ask for a 20 percent pay rise and also payments for the insurance which will ensure them better pensions when they retire. They also want all unlicensed persons or companies operating in the mine area to be taken away.
The copper and chromium miners and the company held a meeting but reached no agreement and the miners have also threatened to start a hunger strike.
The miners also complain of difficult working conditions, saying the company had not made any investment in the mine. They also asked the government to intervene and oblige the company to make the investment as set in the concession agreement.