WINDHOEK, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) on Wednesday announced that operations at the Skorpion Zinc Mine in southern Namibia are being materially affected by the strike of its mining business partner Basil Read Namibia.

The strike began on the Feb. 22 night shift and involved about 400 Basil Read employees in drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling operations.

No settlement agreement has been signed between the Mine Workers Union (MUN) and Basil Read Mining Namibia, said Nora Ndopu, corporate affairs and sustainability manager at VZI, adding that the two sides are placing in jeopardy the future of Skorpion and the livelihood of its employees.

"We call on the leadership of the MUN to engage with Basil Read and VZI to ensure that the situation is resolved as rapidly as possible. The two parties need to urgently resolve the matter, and to pursue all available options to get Skorpion back to work," she said.

Comprising an open-pit mine and refinery, Skorpion is the largest integrated zinc operation in Africa and employs about 1,900 people, including those of its business partners.