– After the terrorist attack on the site on 9 June 2022
– The company had suspended mining activities
– Layoff to reduce expenses and prepare for recovery
Workers at the Riverstone Karma mine are on a one-month renewable layoff. The announcement was made in a release from the managing director Néré Mining, which holds the Riverstone Karma permit, dated 29 June 2022.
This layoff follows the terrorist attack on the Riverstone Karma SA mine site on the morning of 9 June 2022. The attack resulted in the death of three people, including two employees of Riverstone Karma SA and an agent of the defence and security forces. “This situation has caused the de facto suspension of mining activities, compromising its ability to support its financial charges and if it continues, it could lead to the total closure of the mine,” says the mine’s general management. “In order to avoid such an occurrence, the management has decided, in accordance with the legal and regulatory provisions, to place the personnel on total layoff,” it says.
The total duration of this layoff will depend on the evolution of the security situation and the ability to find new operating sites that will allow production to restart appropriately.
The management note justifies this decision: “This is to minimise the wage bill and to ensure the availability of staff for future operations. To this end, Riverstone is proposing to clear the leave banks for those who are entitled to them and to place the rest of the employees on layoff, except for those who will be retained to ensure a minimum service in order to maintain the equipment.
A consultation meeting was held on 5 July 2022 between the general management and the workers.
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