Gold Fields' Ghana miners on strike

Johannesburg - Bullion producer Gold Fields [JSE:GFI] said workers at its Tarkwa and Damang mines in Ghana had launched a wildcat strike, halting production.

Gold Fields said in a statement on Wednesday that the strike related to a dispute over profit-sharing payments to workers, anger at the dismissal of an employee and "allegations of discrimination between expatriate and Ghanaian employees."

"Currently, both mines are totally shut and there's no production," company spokesperson Sharda Naidoo told Reuters, adding that management was meeting with the striking miners and their union and hoped the dispute would be settled quickly.

Gold Fields earlier said the unauthorised strike could leave the miners open to disciplinary action.

"The company holds the view that the industrial action is illegal and unprotected. This could expose participating workers to the no-work, no-pay rule as well as possible dismissal," the company's statement said.

Following initial talks on Wednesday, the general secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers Union told Reuters he would call upon the miners to return to work as negotiations continued.

"Today's meeting went well and based on that we've impressed upon them to resume work pending the main talks on Friday and there are indications they'll heed our appeal," Prince Ankrah said.

He said local union leaders would brief workers on Thursday.

Production at the two mines is around 900,000 ounces of gold per year, close to half of Gold Fields' total global output.

Gold Fields had to contend last year with illegal strikes at South African mines which it subsequently spun off, but such activity is rare in Ghana.

Gold Fields' shares closed 5.3% lower at R6 491 in South Africa on Wednesday, extending earlier declines triggered by a slumping gold price.