KGLL graphite mine back in operation after disruption

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The graphite mine located at Dodangaslanda and operated by Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Ltd. (KGLL) of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is now back in operation after two days of disruption to production due to worker unrest.

“Under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s directions, Industry and Commerce Ministry officials met over 120 KGLL employees and successfully and amicably came to a satisfactory settlement this afternoon,” announced Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce on Thursday. Bathiudeen was speaking in the aftermath of his discussions with his top officials who visited the mine-site earlier in the day. Bathiudeen has also appointed a special six-member High Level Committee on KGLL. “The committee will look into matters related to employees of KGLL. Ministry Secretary Anura Siriwardena will chair this high level committee,” he stressed. Accompanying the Ministry officials for discussions with workers were top officials of KGLL including its Chairman D. Kalansuriya and officials from the Ministry of Labour.

“The resulting goodwill in the aftermath of the successful negotiations were such that the employees volunteered to work sans any overtime payments from KGLL for two extra days to catch up with the lost production, approximately 7.6 tons for the 48 hours,” said Ministry Secretary and Chairman of the new six-member committee Siriwardena.

In the global graphite supply map, Sri Lanka has a strong reputation as a rare supplier of vein graphite on a commercial scale. Sri Lankan-made vein graphite has high purity levels (ranging from 80-99% carbon).

KGLL, a graphite firm in Sri Lanka, operating under the Industry and Commerce Ministry, mines graphite through several mines that have proven deposit reserves. In 2005, KGLL was vested as a public enterprise (in keeping with the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ policy), revived and strengthened in 2007 and succeeded in producing 4,016 MT of graphite.

KGLL successfully exported a cumulative 2,972 MT of graphite from FY 2005/’06 to 2011/’12 FY period.