Zambia’s government has rejected Glencore’s attempt to declare force majeure at its Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) in the country, citing the company’s failure to comply with the law.
MCM tried placing the mines on care and maintenance, but the government rejected the move, stating it will not allow the miner to use COVID-19 as a reason to lay off more than 11,000 workers. Instead, the company must follow stipulations enshrined in law before it could follow through with the redundancies.
On March 20, MCM announced it was exploring ways to reduce costs because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, as well as plummeting copper prices.