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BusinessLive reports that platinum metals mining company Wesizwe has announced an end to the illegal sit-in by an estimated 250 miners at its Bakubung Mine in the North West.
It was reported last week that the disgruntled miners had barricaded themselves underground in an attempt to extract concessions from management as the company’s retrenchment process unfolded. On Monday, Bakubung’s parent company, Wesizwe, told shareholders that all employees had returned safely to the surface after the illegal sit-in at the mine on Wednesday. “Employees returned to surface on Friday, 8 December 2023 at approximately 11pm following discussions between management and union leadership. They were all given medical attention and cleared of any potential harm,” Wesizwe indicated in a statement. On 27 November, the Bakubung mine entered into retrenchment consultations that could potentially affect 571 employees at different staff levels in all areas of the business. A week later, employees embarked on the illegal sit-in, choosing not to return to the surface at the end of their shift. They cited unresolved issues from the August unprotected strike at the mine, which went on for five weeks. The workers demanded that their pay be benchmarked with that of the industry, claiming their pay was far less than their peers in the sector. Other grievances included changes to the minimum requested remuneration for employees, changes to employees’ benefits, subsidies and working conditions.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Michelle Gumede at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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