BusinessLive reports that the Association for Mining and Construction Union (Amcu) has threatening to shut the country's gold, platinum and coal mines as a strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations heads into its fourth month.
The union said on Tuesday that it would get its members to down tools at platinum, coal and gold mines where it had recognition agreements. This would include members at AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony, Lonmin and Impala Platinum, Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa indicated. The strike declaration came after Sibanye announced last week that it would begin processes to retrench as many as 6,670 people in a plan to close unprofitable shafts at its Beatrix and Driefontein gold mines. Amcu has been on strike at Sibanye's gold operations since November 2018 over wage hikes. However, the company said the restructuring was not linked to the industrial action. Describing the planned job losses as a “blood bath”, Mathunjwa said that they would implore investors to disinvest from the mining company. Although the secondary strike is not likely to have the desired effect in all sectors, with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) the majority union in the coal sector, the platinum sector will be hit hardest. No gold companies have seemingly received notices for the secondary strike.
- Read the original of Theto Mahlakoana’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive
- Read too, Amcu calls on all members to strike in support of Sibanye gold employees, at Mining Weekly
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