Mining Weekly reports that Sibanye Gold on Thursday confirmed that 1,514 workers had been dismissed at its Cooke operations, near Westonaria, for not returning to work.  

The workers had embarked on an unlawful and unprotected strike over a week before following the company’s attempts to combat illegal mining.  According to Sibanye spokesperson James Wellsted, 739 of the dismissed workers were members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the majority union at the mine.  NUM said it was “outraged” and “highly shocked” by the dismissal, noting that its members were allegedly coerced and intimidated into participating in the illegal strike.  Since the implementation of the gold producer’s anti-illegal miner programme, which included banning workers from taking food underground, 234 illegal miners have surfaced.

• Read this report in full at Mining Weekly
• Read too, Sibanye sacks more than 1,500 workers over wildcat strike, at Moneyweb
• Read the NUM’s press statement at Polity

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page