Miningmx reports that the lawyers who won a R5bn settlement for tens of thousands of former gold-mine workers with lung diseases have set their sights on coal companies.  

Human rights lawyer Richard Spoor, in partnership with the Catholic Church, will be pursuing litigation against Sasol, Exxaro Resources and other coal mining companies for compensation for occupational diseases incurred by their workers.  These claims are likely to amount to hundreds of millions of rands.  Also, the class action to compensate current and former gold mineworkers who have contracted silicosis and tuberculosis on 30 of SA’s gold mines since 1965 will continue against DRDGold/ERPM and Randgold & Exploration.  On Thursday, details were disclosed about a long awaited settlement between lawyers representing thousands of silicosis claimants and six of the gold mining companies who were sued.  The six formed a working group in 2014 to represent their interests.  DRDGold and Randgold & Exploration were not part of the negotiations.  Pan African Resources, which was, did not sign the agreement because certain details still remained unresolved.  John Brand, representing the working group, said:  “I hope that the mining companies in other commodities will follow this example of a settlement so we do not have a shoot-out in a court of law.”

Read this report by Charlotte Mathews in full at Miningmx

Read too, Coal miners next in line for reparations claims, at BusinessLive

Read a press statement from the SACBC and Richard Spoors Attorneys on coal claims at SA Labour News

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page