11th Nov 2014 10:33
LONDON (Alliance News) - DiamondCorp PLC said the work on its Lace diamond mine in South Africa is on schedule in spite of the industrial action taken by some workers at the site.
DiamondCorp said the final commissioning of the conveyor at the site will be dependent on development schedules, but said the start of mining at the UK4 block is still expected to start by the end of the first half of 2015.
The company said tunnelling at the UK4 block and the processing of kimberlite ore is continuing with workers not members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. Mining of the upper leg of the decline has been temporarily suspended to allow the development of UK4 to continue, it said.
It said for each fortnight the strike continues, it is estimated overall progress will be hit by one week. The company said it is making productivity gains with non-union members.
The issue at dispute is a call by the union for DiamondCorp to appoint two full-time salaried shop stewards. The company said it already has five shop stewards in the workforce and said meetings held with union representatives last week did not result in any agreement.
DiamondCorp shares were down 1.6% to 6.89 pence on Tuesday.
By Sam Unsted; [email protected]; @SamUAtAlliance
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