BISHEK, Kyrgyzstan - Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX:CG) says it workers at a gold mine in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan have gone on strike.
The Toronto-based company says the workers are demanding additional payments to a state social fund.
In a statement early Tuesday, Centerra Gold said it considers the work stoppage illegal and that a collective agreement is in force until the end of the year.
Centerra produced 585,000 ounces of gold last year at its key Kumtor mine, which accounts for the bulk of the company’s global output.
Production at the operation has been suspended and the company says it is in talks with the workers' union to resolve the dispute.
The Kumtor mine, which accounts for roughly one-tenth of Kyrgyzstan’s economy, has been at the centre of several industrial and environmental disputes.
