[miningmx.com] – WORKERS at the Rustenburg sections of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), which yesterday unveiled plans to shut 400,000 ounces of platinum production, refused to go underground for overnight shifts.
Reuters reported that workers refused in protest of Amplats’ cut-back which would affect up to 14,000 jobs, although Amplats has said it will attempt to redeploy some workers and create jobs elsewhere.
“They didn’t go underground,” Evans Ramogka, a labor leader and activist at an Amplats mine in Rustenburg, about 120km northwest of Johannesburg, told Reuters.
A company spokeswoman told Reuters she could not immediately comment because she was waiting for an operational update from managers at the mines.
Speaking on the Money Show last night (January 15), a business programme aired on Talk Radio 702, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesman, Lesiba Seshoka, warned workers that should they turn to strike action they would swiftly lose their jobs, without compensation.
“We have heard of possible strikes but that won’t be helpful at all,” Seshoka said. “If you go on another illegal strike you would be pushing yourselves out of a job as this will allow the company to fire you with payment retrenchment,” he said.
He added that the restructuring announcement would “fuel tension” in the Rustenburg region where tension was still prevalent. “I think Amplats should have brought this [its restructuring proposal] before MIGDETT (Mining Industry Growth Development and Employment Task Team). This will be problematic for the industry,” he said.
Seshoka added that Amplats had not consulted with the NUM; he was therefore “shocked” at the extent of the restructuring.
“It looks like retrenchments are a foregone conclusion. We have contacted Amplats so we can save as many jobs as possible,” he said.
Chris Griffith, CEO of Amplats, said at the announcement of the restructuring that he expected it was possible there would be more strike action in the wake of the company’s plans.
