Strike at Rosh Pinah mine affects zinc supplies

An extended workers strike at Kumba Resources' Rosh Pinah zinc and lead mine in southern Namibia could further affect the already extremely tight world zinc supply, company officials said. The mine's workers went on strike four days ago, on Sunday, demanding wage increases due to rising global zinc prices and increased production. “Production has increased by 75 percent, zinc prices have gone up from $760/mt to $3,999/mt, and that justifies our demands”, the branch chairman of the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) at Rosh Pinah , Mr. Petrus Amakali said. The Rosh Pinah mine annually produces 70,000 metric tons of zinc.