Gold miner Gold One International (GDO) advised on Thursday that as a result of the violence perpetrated by dismissed employees at its Modder East operation, it obtained an interdict from the South Gauteng High Court on Wednesday interdicting further protest.
The order was granted against the Professional Transport Allied Workers Union (PTAWU), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the former 1,035 employees who were dismissed for participating in illegal strike action.
The respondents are interdicted from entering Modder East, illegally gathering inside or outside of Modder East, and from directly or indirectly threatening, intimidating or harming any person who is associated with the mining operations at Modder East.
The respondents are also interdicted from preventing any person who is involved with the mining operation from entering Modder East, and from damaging or threatening to damage any property belonging to Modder East.
In addition, the interdict requests that the South African Police Service (SAPS) assists in ensuring that the respondents do not contravene any of the provisions of the interdict, and calls upon the respondents to appear and show cause on 26 June 2012 as to why a final order should not be granted against them.
Earlier this week Gold One reported that approximately 500 former employees blocked the Modder East entrance with burning debris on 12 June and refused to cooperate with the SAPS officers present.
Representations against dismissal were made on 6 June and Management concluded that, in almost all cases, there were insufficient mitigating factors against the sanction of dismissal.
PTAWU, which is a minority union at Modder East and is therefore not recognised by Gold One, informed the company of the planned strike on 31 May. The illegal strike was interdicted by the Labour Court on 4 June.
The NUM is the recognised union at Modder East. - I-Net Bridge