Cape Town — The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has encouraged the workers who were dismissed by Impala Bafokeng Platinum Mine, to return to work.
The union said they were successful in negotiating with the mine, following the illegal protest that happened last month where 2 000 workers stayed undergoun for a number of days.
According to eNCA, NUM says Impala Bafokeng Mine management has agreed to withdraw the suspension of 38 miners who had been dismissed for their involvement in the three-day underground protest action in December.
“We were on the backfoot of an ultimatum that said ‘if workers did not return to work by Sunday night shift or Monday morning shift, the employer had no option bu to close the operation’. Now, we were able to persuade the employer to say there were 38 workers who were suspended and seen as the face of the mineworkers who staged the sit-in. I must also indicate that we’ve been on the various media platforms, indicating that workers who staged the sit-in, remained members of the National Union of mineworkers,” Geoffrey Moatshe, the NUM Rustenburg Regional Secretary, said.
VIDEO | Impala Platinum’s Royal Bafokeng Mine in the North West Province is fully operational again following a labour dispute that saw 2 000 workers stage a sit-in at the mine. https://t.co/0x6d9B4iRO
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 10, 2024
Impala Platinum Mine (Implats) spokesperson Johan Theron expressed confidence that the challenging phase of strike action was behind them thanks to the collaborative efforts of Impala Bafokeng Platinum management and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), The Citizen reported.
After the sit-in last year, we had normal attendance last week. On Monday and Tuesday, however, there was only a 60% turnout at the north and south shafts this week.
“But, following interventions by NUM and management over the past few days, we have once again reported normal attendance,” Theron explained.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
