Kazakh oil producer output hit by strikes

Kazakh oil and gas company Kazmunaigas Exploration Production says ongoing strikes at one of its production units has led to disappointing output figures so far this year, according to AP. London-listed KMG EP said in a statement Thursday that it produced 6,311 tons of crude in the first six months of 2011, which is 3 percent less than over the same period the previous year. Workers at the company's Uzenmunaigas facility in western Kazakhstan have been on strike since May over demands for better salaries and working conditions. KMG EP says the drop was also due to emergency power cuts caused by bad weather in March and April. KMG EP is controlled by state-owned Kazmunaigas and is among the top three oil and gas producers in Kazakhstan.