JERSEY, Channel Islands and BAMAKO, Mali, June 21, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The workforce at the Morila gold mine in Mali has returned to work after a three-day work stoppage in response to the call for a three-day national strike by SECNAMI, the mining section of the National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM). The mine is owned by AngloGold (40%), Randgold Resources (40%) (LSE:RRS) (Nasdaq:GOLD) and the government of Mali (20%).
Although the Morila plant remained operational during the strike, the work stoppage will have a negative impact on the mine's gold production for the June quarter.
The strike was called in support of the Morila workers' dispute with management about a productivity bonus. Management is willing to continue negotiations with the union on this issue and remains committed to an equitable and mutually acceptable solution that will enable the mining industry to contribute effectively to the economy of Mali.
Safe Harbor
Statements made in this document with respect to Randgold Resources' current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Randgold Resources. These statements are based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Randgold Resources cautions you that a number of important risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks associated with: fluctuations in the market price of gold, gold production at Morila, the development of Loulo and estimates of reserves and mine life. For a discussion on such risk factors, refer to the annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2002, which was filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on 27 June 2003. Randgold Resources assumes no obligation to update information in this release. Cautionary Note to US Investors: The United States Securities Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') permits companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proven and probable ore reserves. We use certain terms in this release, such as "resources", that the SEC does not recognise and strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of our resources will ever be converted into reserves which qualify as 'proven and probable reserves' for the purposes of the SEC's industry guide number 7.
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