[miningmx.com] — GOLD Fields has been granted an interim court order blocking a planned strike on Tuesday by about 2,000 workers at its South Deep gold mine, the South African company said.
“Gold Fields hereby announces that the labour court has granted it an interim interdict prohibiting the strike action by the National Union of Mineworkers (Num) at its South Deep gold mine, pending the leading of oral evidence concerning factual disputes relating to thee protected or unprotected nature of the strike,” the company said.
“The registrar of the court must set a date for the hearing of the matter.”
Num had earlier announced that its members would strike at the mine after a dispute over worker involvement in the running of the company.
“Our main complaint is that the senior and top executive managers are mainly whites. We demand that there should be transformation at Gold Fields,” Num spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka told Reuters.
The government said last month that whites still dominate South Africa’s mining industry and changes to include more blacks in the sector are slow despite a decade of affirmative action.
Gold Fields spokesperson Sven Lunsche said the company would hold further talks with the Num to discuss its grievances, adding he was optimistic there would be an amicable settlement.
“If they go ahead with the strike, it will be an unprotected strike. We will continue to engage the union to resolve the underlying dispute,” Lunsche said.
Seshoka also said the union wanted Gold Fields to change its procurement rules to achieve greater participation by black suppliers, but he gave no further details on the issue.
According to the government, only 8.9% of the country’s mines were owned by blacks in 2009, well below a target of 15%. South Africa has set a target of 26% black ownership of its mines by 2014.
Trade unions, the government and some industry officials have criticised the mine owners for moving slowly to achieve higher participation of blacks in the management of companies.
South Africa is the world’s largest producer of platinum and ferrochrome and also a major gold producer.
