In a move that trade union the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) proclaimed as shocking, they are concerned that close to 2 000 employees at Stillwater Sibanye’s Beatrix 4 shaft and Kloof 1 and 2 plants could be retrenched.
The mining union said that the company has plans to retrench 1 600 permanent employees at Beatrix 4 shaft and 400 at Kloof 1 and 2.
“We also cannot dismiss the fact that this is a form of punishment for the strike period in which gold sector workers, through their unity, secured a reasonable victory in terms of wages and working conditions. This is capitalist barbarism at its best.
“In addition, employees to be affected are those in associated companies, including Sibanye Gold Protection Services Limited and Sibanye Gold Academy Proprietary Limited,” read a NUM statement on the proposed action.
NUM also added that although they were deeply shocked by the decision and they were not surprised by this kind of brutal and heartless behaviour coming from Sibanye-Stillwater.
“It is a well-known fact that this company does not care much about its employees. What matters most to them is profit. Sibanye-Stillwater is today coming up with all sorts of excuses just to merely punish the workers,” said NUM.
They say that in their view, the company is placing Beatrix 4 Shaft on care and maintenance so that they can re-purpose the shaft to mine Uranium, which the union believes wants to occupy a strategic supply position in the global market.
“Sibanye Stillwater is retrenching 1 600 permanent employees at Beatrix 4 Shaft and plans to use subcontractors when they re-purpose the Beatrix 4 shaft for Uranium Mining,” said the union
NUM say they will go through the served notice since the purpose of the Section 189 consultation process is to engage in a meaningful joint consensus-seeking process in an attempt to avoid job losses.
While another mining union, UASA, said they would leave no stone unturned to save jobs at Sibanye-Stillwater Gold. Its spokesperson Abigail Moyo, in a statement said they were notified by the company that it intended to refer to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the possible retrenchments and restructuring at the company for facilitation.
“Sibanye is prepared to give an extension over and above the normal 90 days to accommodate the process of reaching an agreement. Based on operational requirements, the case concerns 2 400 workers at Beatrix 4 Shaft and Support Services and Kloof 1 plant.
“UASA will send a high-level team to constructively participate and negotiate on behalf of our members and the workers in the Section-189 process of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). We will leave no stone unturned to save jobs and are hopeful that job losses will be kept to a bare minimum and as a last resort,” said Moyo.
Moyo said that, as a union, they understood that unreliable power supply, natural disasters and global warming put the mining industry under pressure to implement sustainable solutions, and they would engage with Sibanye-Stillwater to look at and consider all possible options and cost-cutting measures to save as many jobs as possible.
Yesterday, the company said it would enter into consultation in terms of S189A of the Labour Relations Act (S189) with organised labour and other affected stakeholders regarding the possible restructuring of its SA gold operations pursuant to ongoing losses experienced at the Beatrix 4 shaft and the impact of depleting mineral reserves to the Kloof 1 plant.
“The proposed restructuring could potentially affect employees at Beatrix 4 shaft, those employees who provide support services to the shaft, and Kloof 1 and 2 plants. In addition, employees may be affected in associated companies, including Sibanye Gold Protection Services Limited and Sibanye Gold Academy Proprietary Limited,” said a Sibanye statement.
The Star