* January circular requires miners to allocate 5% equity to

Congolese workers

* No mining company has yet complied, union leader says

* Mines ministry to meet unions on Friday, union leader says

By Ange Kasongo and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila

KINSHASA/DAKAR, June 18 (Reuters) - Miners in the Democratic

Republic of Congo are seeking a delay to a government directive

requiring them to grant a 5% equity stake to Congolese

employees, while unions are pushing for immediate enforcement

ahead of a July 31 deadline, according to a document and three

industry sources.

No company has yet complied with the directive, a union

leader said, even as authorities step up efforts to enforce

local participation in a sector dominated by foreign investors.

Congo is the world's top cobalt producer and second-largest

copper producer.

African governments are increasingly seeking a larger share

of mineral wealth as commodity prices rise, with Congo's rule

reinforcing an existing legal provision.

MINERS REQUEST MORATORIUM

A January 30 circular, seen by Reuters this month, requires

miners to allocate the 5% stake to Congolese workers and submit

proof of compliance.

Congo's Chamber of Mines says key questions remain

unresolved, including whether existing shareholders must

transfer equity and whether the requirement applies

retroactively to long-established operations, a mining executive

and two union leaders said.

The sources requested anonymity as they were not authorised

to speak to media.

Major miners including Eurasian Resources Group, Ivanhoe

, Glencore ( GLCNF ) and China's CMOC met the

chamber on June 11 to coordinate a response, the executive said.

Glencore ( GLCNF ) and Ivanhoe declined to comment, while CMOC and ERG did

not immediately respond.

The chamber has formally requested a moratorium to allow

consultations with stakeholders, though no alternative timeline

has been proposed, the executive added.

"This concern is widely shared by major companies," the

executive said, adding many were still awaiting clarity on the

final framework.

Congo's mines ministry and Chamber of Mines did not

immediately respond to requests for comment.

MINES MINISTRY TO MEET UNIONS

Congo's mines ministry will meet unions on Friday to

"explain more" on the directive, one union leader said.

Unions accuse mining companies of dragging their feet.

A second union leader said miners had previously allocated

about 3% to worker-linked schemes, but that oversight of the

funds lacked transparency.

"That is why the government wants them to increase it to

5%," the second source said, adding it could support development

in mining regions.

"On the union side, we are demanding immediate

implementation."