ANA reports that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) West Cluster were expected to march to Sibanye-Stillwater in Westonaria at noon on Monday to demand that the precious metals producer reverse plans to cut jobs.  

Sibanye sent retrenchment termination letters to more than 2,000 workers at its Cooke 1, 2 & 3 operations near Randfontein last week.  An additional 1,350 have already elected to take voluntary separation packages, while 3,601 contractors would be displaced at the Cooke operations.  NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said they were marching to demand that the miner should reverse the retrenchments and go back to the negotiating table to save jobs.  He stated that Sibanye had already instructed workers not to go underground as it was preparing to put the operations on care and maintenance and that soon after issuing workers with retrenchment notices, Sibanye “immediately hired 800 security officers to guard the operations so that workers cannot go underground.”  “Why retrench workers and put mine on care and maintenance instead of selling the mine?” Mmamburu asked.

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