Stillwater miners met up last night for further talks about the current stoppage among the members of the Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International (PACE) union.

The two-hour meeting marked the first formal labour discussions of the four-day strike, with workers seeking to clarify their demands.

Brad Shorey, who heads up the Local 8-0001, sought to thrash out details following the rejection of last week's offer by nearly three quarters of the membership.

Pensions and sick plan issues were at the top of the agenda, with a number of miners complaining about the severity of the sick-leave policy.

Some members also alluded to the buy-out of Stillwater Mining by Russian pgm giant Norilsk Nickel, expressing reservations about the deal.

However, some analysts have speculated the stoppage will not prove to be a major issue, with productivity not set to suffer.

Precious metals analyst Victor Flores told the Billings Gazette that he wasn't "taking this as anything major or earth shattering".

"It really doesn't impact their bottom line," he added.

Mr Flores said that when pressure did build, it would probably begin to grow from Stillwater Mining's lenders.

Stillwater Mining will release its financial performance for the second quarter of this year on Aug. 4.