Johannesburg - More than 1 500 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) together with 850 contract workers from Sibanye Gold on the West Rand will march against retrenchments and the closure of a shaft on Tuesday.
The union said on Monday that it was deeply worried that Sibanye Gold was planning on closing down the operation “by not following proper process”.
NUM branch secretary Bonginkosi Mrasi said in a statement that members were demanding the gold producer call on the Department of Mineral Resources to intervene.
“The NUM calls for Sibanye Gold to implement Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act of 1995 in alignment with the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development (MPRDA) Act of 2002 Section 52, which states that if the company anticipates retrenching 10% or more employees, it has to inform the Minister of Mineral Resources. This drastic action by the company will leave hundreds of mineworkers in a dire situation,” said Mrasi.
The NUM said it would fight tooth and nail to make sure that its members were not retrenched “cheaply”.
LABOUR BUREAU