Reuters reports that in a setback for negotiations aimed at ending a weeks-long strike at South Deep, Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said on Monday that Gold Fields was not acting in good faith in talks with the government over planned job cuts.
Most workers at Gold Fields' struggling South Deep mine have been on strike since 2 November over the company's plans to cut around 1,100 jobs, or 30% of its workforce. Mantashe, who aims to save jobs in the mining sector, said he met Gold Fields executives on Monday evening, but could not resolve the "current impasse". “We don’t believe the company is acting in good faith. They have merely engaged in a tick-box exercise for compliance purposes. This is a disturbing approach, and we remain unhappy with the way the process has unfolded thus far," Mantashe said in a statement. Gold Fields reported a 3% drop in third-quarter production this month, partly due to the numerous operational problems at South Deep, a mine in a tough geological setting 3 km below the surface.
- Read the full original report at Mining Weekly
- Read the Gwede Mantashe’s press statement at Polity
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