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23 January, 2006
Miners at a uranium mine in Namibia won a 2006 salary agreement from Rössing Uranium after interrupting work for four hours on 10 January to deliver a petition to company management.
Some 450 miners of the Rössing Branch of ICEM affiliate Mineworkers’ Union of Namibia won an 8% pay hike from the mining concern that is 68.6% owned by Rio Tinto, plus a one-off bonus of N$1,000 and substantial housing allowances. When senior managers at the mine where unavailable to accept the petition at the mine’s main entrance, miners boarded buses to Swakopmund, some 70 kilometers away, to present the petition to senior management.
Rio Tinto announced in December that it was investing US$112 million in Rössing Uranium, a move that would extend the life of the mine from 2009 to 2016.