NOUAKCHOTT: Miners in Mauritania's northern iron ore hub of Zouerate went back to work on Friday after downing tools for nine weeks in a dispute over wages, their union and management said.
The workers had been on strike since January 28 to demand that the National Industrial and Mining Company (SNIM) honour agreed pay rises and bonuses.
"Everyone went back to work, everyone is happy with this development," SNIM spokesman Samba Barry said.
The workers had negotiated pay rises to come into effect in October but the extra cash, along with overtime and production bonuses, never materialised, they said.
The General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers said the strike, backed by 90 percent of members, threatened force SNIM to close the mine -- where the bulk of the country's important iron ore industry is based.
The union announced the end of the action late Thursday after striking a deal with the company, following three days of intense negotiations.
The union said management had agreed to lump payments of three months' salary for the workers.
"Everyone is in. All the strikers are very happy with the solution found by mutual agreement," a union official told AFP.
The company said it had reinstated 400 workers sacked during the strike.
Mauritania's mining industry has experienced a massive leap in earnings in recent years, raking in 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in 2011, according to government data.
The country exports around 12 million tonnes of iron ore a year, 80 percent to China and the rest to Europe, with production expected to leap to 18 million tonnes this year, according to the World Bank.
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