The employees at a bauxite mine in the Sverdlovsk Region, part of aluminum giant's RusAl's mining complex, halted work on March 26 organizing a sit-in. They launched a hunger strike on April 1 and refused to come to the surface until their demands, including funding for the construction of another mine, were met.
The spokesman for RusAl said the strikers were 'feeling well' and were ready to resume work. "We are continuing dialogue and still consider that this is the only constructive way to settle the issue under the current circumstances," he said, adding that the company would meet all the demands, including the pay increase.
The aluminum producer halted work at five mines in the Sverdlovsk Region due to a strike last Friday and confirmed there were sufficient bauxite stocks and the action would not affect company operations.
UC RusAl, controlled by Basic Element, owned by Russia's richest man, Oleg Deripaska, became the world's largest aluminum producer after a March 2007 merger between RusAl, rival Sual and Swiss Glencore's alumina assets.
