JOHANNESBURG - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the biggest organised labour movement in the mining industry, is planning to a march to Ashanti’s Orkney, in the North West on Thursday to fight against the retrenchments in the mining industry.
NUM general secretary, David Sipunzi said in a press conference held on Monday that the march comes as close to 20 000 mineworkers would be affected by looming job cuts in the industry and as the sector had shed more than 80 000 jobs in the past five years.
“Capitalism uses retrenchments to maximise profits when their pockets are becoming dry the first thing that comes into their minds is to retrench workers. It is on that basis that we are saying that workers are victims of monopoly capital,” Sipunzi said.
AngloGold Ashanti announced 8 5 000 employees would be retrenched amid plans to place the loss making Kopanag Mine and the Savuka section of its Tau Tona on care and maintenance.
The company also planned to study the feasibility of integrating elements of the 60-year old TauTona mine into the neighbouring Mponeng mine.
The union said march would take place on Thursday at 3 pm from the Umzimuhle shopping Centrein Orkney to Anglo Gold office at No1 Vaal Reefs.