Assmang: Solidarity aims to limit impact of job losses at Machadodorp

SOLIDARITY planned to limit the impact of the looming retrenchments of 60 percent of employees at Assmang’s Machadodorp operations in Mpumalanga, the trade union said yesterday. Assmang had issued a section 189 notice to Solidarity signalling that 220 employees could be axed as the company grappled with financial constraints in recent years. Cornelius Van Leeuwen, an organiser at Solidarity, said: “Various options are currently being considered although there isn’t clarity at this stage about what steps would eventually be taken. We’ll do everything in our power to limit the impact of this process on our members and on the entire Machadodorp community.” He said the company had reduced its ferrochrome production due to the oversupply in the market and ferromanganese output at Machadodorp was not profitable. African Rainbow Minerals, which holds 50 percent in Assmang, rose 0.49 percent to R164 yesterday. – Dineo Faku