/ 20 January 1999

NO CONCORD AT SMELTER

MOZAMBICAN riot police were called in to rescue 30 senior Concor site managers after they were taken hostage by 400 striking construction workers at the R7,5-billion MOZAL aluminum smelter near Maputo city on Tuesday, African Eye News Service reports. The demonstrators held the group of Mozambican and South African managers hostage for seven hours after a wage dispute flared into open protest. The dispute was sparked by allegations that Concor pays South African workers substantially more than Mozambicans are paid for similar work.