Societe Miniere de Boké resumed operations at its bauxite mine in Guinea as most of the workers returned following a nearly two-week strike, Reuters reported May 16.

The company was forced to halt production due to the strike, causing a loss of between 1 million and 1.2 million tonnes of scheduled bauxite production, with losses running to US$1 million per day.

"The overwhelming majority of workers went back to work this morning even if there are a few scattered blockages without any impact on shipments," the company's director general, Frederic Bouzigues, told the news wire.

Bouzigues recently said that some of the employees downed tools following the arrest of a union leader earlier in the month.

The bauxite producer is owned by Guinea, China's Winning Shipping Ltd., Shandong Weiqiao and UMS International Ltd.