Today's Labour News

News24Wire reports that the South Gauteng High Court has approved the historic R5-billion settlement agreement in the lengthy silicosis case.  

Judge Leoni Windell found that “all the parties made an effort to ensure that the settlement agreement is reasonable, adequate and fair.  The terms of the settlement agreement demonstrate that they succeeded in their efforts.”  Parties made submissions in May asking the court to approve the settlement agreement and to issue instructions on the clauses it was not happy with.  The legal process involving gold miners affected by lung diseases has stretched over several years and has been described as one of the “most complex multi-party class action settlements ever concluded” by parties.  The agreement, on behalf of thousands of mineworkers and their dependants, affects people who contracted silicosis or pulmonary tuberculosis during or after being employed as gold miners from March 1965.  The six mining companies which will pay out the collective R5-billion formed the Occupational Lung Disease (OLD) Working Group, which represented African Rainbow Minerals‚ Anglo American SA‚ AngloGold Ashanti‚ Gold Fields‚ Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater.  The claimants will be paid out between R70,000 and R500,000, depending on which of four categories they fall into.  The benefits will be paid through the Tshiamiso Trust, set up specifically for this purpose.  It will receive R845-million to identify and locate eligible mineworkers and dependents, and will assess, process and pay their claims.

• Read the full original of the report on the above at Mining Weekly
• Read too, R5 billion settlement achieved in landmark silicosis case, at Saturday Star

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