South32 mulling 500 job cuts at Hillside aluminium, according to union Solidarity

Aluminium smelter

SOME 500 jobs could be cut at South Africa’s Hillside aluminium smelter owned by South32, said Reuters citing the views of trade union, Solidarity. Hillside aluminium currently provides 1,300 jobs.

Solidarity said the Perth-headquartered company was looking at ways to reduce costs and contend with volatility in commodity markets.

“The company indicated in its request to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) that it intends to cut its workforce by 500 jobs,” Solidarity’s deputy general secretary, Marius Croucamp, said in a statement reported by Reuters.

“The consultation is related to a proposed restructure of the business,” said a South32 spokeswoman. “The purpose of the proposed restructure is to reduce Hillside’s controllable costs and improve resilience to volatility in commodities markets.”

South32 is the latest mining company to cut jobs after Sibanye-Stillwater last week said that it could cut nearly 6,000 jobs in a potential restructuring of the company’s gold mining operations after losses at some of its mines last year.