Unions threaten full-blown strike at Sibanye-Stillwater

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Mining unions are threatening a joint full-blown strike at Sibanye-Stillwater after the dismissal of 213 workers for staging an underground sit in last week over an employee share ownership scheme.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are demanding the reinstatement of the miners.

The NUM in Rustenburg regional secretary, Geoffrey Moatshe, says the mining unions held a meeting yesterday.

“We met with AMCU with the aim of addressing workers jointly and it is the feeling of the trade unions that we should take the employer head-on. It’s the same company that we took a march against in Carletonville around May over the issue of retrenchments. Now if you deal with an arrogant company like Sibanye which is a law into itself, it’s only fair that workers should unite and put aside union affiliations.”

March against job cuts

Meanwhile, Sibanye announced last month that it would enter into another round of Section 189 retrenchment talks with unions representing workers at its gold operations.

The company cited losses at its Beatrix One shaft and Kloof 2 plant as reasons for the proposed retrenchments.

Sibanye’s latest retrenchment notice comes on the heels of other retrenchment announcements in December last year and February this year.

Last month, the NUM staged a march against the planned four thousand job cuts at Sibanye Stillwater.

Details in the report below: