NUM aims to interdict Seriti Resources’ retrenchment bid

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says it will soon interdict Seriti Resources from proceeding with its planned retrenchment of more than one thousand workers.

The coal miner’s plan has infuriated unions which say it will force their members deeper into poverty.

But Seriti says its multi-product operations at Middelburg Mine Services and Klipspruit South-East pit together with related opencast activities at Klipspruit Opencast are currently not commercially sustainable and require restructuring.

It has blamed Transnet’s underperformance and general market volatility.

NUM chairperson in the Highveld region in Mpumalanga, Malekutu Motubatse says, “They are just misleading the nation because in Highveld, we have got Thungela that has five operations and it is export. It can’t only be Seriti that is having these challenges. We’ve got Glencore that has three operations in Highveld, it also exports … it takes coal to Richards Bay.”

“We’ve got Exxaro with two operations, why all these other mining houses don’t have a problem but the problem is only in Seriti. It is because these other mining houses, the likes of Thungela they respect our laws and they believe that permanent employment is the one that can sustain our people,” adds Motubatse.