According to Mr William Hernández Sutracarbonorca labor union leader, Venezuelan state carbon anode producer Carbonorca is waiting to receive a shipment of 5,000 tonnes of calcined coke to get operations back to normal.

He said that "It's a shipment that we've been waiting on for several days. Until this raw material arrives, we can't resume production."

Mr Hernández said carbon anode production at the company has been halted for more than 50 days due to the lack of inputs.

He said that company executives called on workers to resume operations at the plant last week which is absurd. "There are underlying problems such as the lack of raw materials and investments needed for the plant to operate."

Mr Hernández said meanwhile, workers at Carbonorca are calling on the government to intervene and review the company current administration. He said that "There's a time bomb that's about to explode. Workers are concerned about their job security and how the company is being managed. Production fell 50% in 2010 and so far this year and the decline is more than 50%."

In 2010, the company produced 165,000 tonnes.

(Sourced from www.bnamericas.com)