Windhoek — ABOUT 200 of the 1 300 workers at Roessing Uranium went on strike yesterday over unresolved salary issues raised during the 2008 salary negotiations.

The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) handed over a petition in this regard on Tuesday.

According to Noël Mouton, acting General Manager of Corporate Services, the strike is illegal because workers did not follow the correct procedures.

The union organised the work stoppage despite having agreed that salaries would be the subject of ongoing negotiations, he said.

Roessing's management had informed the workforce about the procedural aspects of the planned strike, he said.

"In terms of the Labour Act, the company and the Mineworkers' Union of Namibia are required to follow the dispute procedures set out in the Company - union procedural agreement to which both are signatories," Mouton said.

"We appealed to the workforce to reconsider the industrial action and consider the potential consequences that might follow, which could be lockout, no work - no pay, disciplinary action and possible loss of employment."

Because of the strike, it was decided to stop the mine's open-pit operations and processing plant at 07h00 yesterday for general maintenance work.

Jerome Mutumba, External Affairs Manager, told The Namibian that management was not sure whether the strike would continue today.

He said the strikers picketed the mine's gate for most of yesterday.

"There could be significant production loss.

A stoppage like this may have a negative effect on our production targets, and catching up to this may become complicated," he said.

Roessing's lawyers, Metcalfe Legal Practitioners, have notified the MUN that Roessing intends approaching the Labour Court on Friday.

MUN branch Chairman, Ismael Kosutu, said "emotions are strong in this delicate situation", and the union was doing all it could to encourage the workers to return to work.

He added that there were issues that had been dragging on since the 2006 salary negotiations, and that the continual delay was not going down well with the workers.

He said MUN would continue to seek an amicable solution with Rossing.

"We regret that it has developed to this furore."