“Ruby Mine Standoff: Workers Block Entrance Over Unpaid Wages in Mozambique”

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"Ruby Mine Standoff: Workers Block Entrance Over Unpaid Wages in Mozambique"

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In a stand against unpaid wages, a group of 100 workers at a ruby mine in Montepeuz, northern Mozambique, have taken drastic action, blocking the entrance to the gem-washing facilities and effectively bringing operations to a halt.

Owned by the company Fura, the mine employs workers through a logistics firm called Reef. The workers allege that Reef has failed to pay them their wages for the past three months, amounting to a staggering $265,000 (£215,000) in total.

While the workers demand their rightful compensation, a representative from Reef management asserts that they have made efforts to negotiate the debt with Fura, albeit unsuccessfully. As of now, Fura has remained silent on the matter, offering no comment or clarification regarding the claims made by the workers.

This incident sheds light on the challenges faced by laborers in Mozambique’s burgeoning ruby mining industry, which began on a large scale around 14 years ago. As tensions escalate between the workers and management, the future of operations at the ruby mine hangs in the balance, highlighting broader issues of labor rights and fair compensation in the country’s mining sector.