African Rainbow mineralsNUM warns of strike at Nkomati

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was preparing to strike at Nkomati, a nickel mine jointly owned by African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Russia’s Norilsk, the union said yesterday. NUM declared a dispute with the mine owners over wages. The union’s regional secretary, William Mabap, said it would not hesitate to call a strike. A three-week strike at ARM’s joint venture with Anglo American Platinum at Modikwa platinum mine in April cost the mine 21 000 ounces in lost production. This equated to 6 percent of the mine’s 350 000 ounce annual platinum group metal production. The Nkomati mine is situated in Machadodorp in Mpumalanga and produced 10 100 tons of nickel last year. ARM shares closed 0.2 percent higher at R165. – Reuters