The National Union Mineworkers (NUM) is threatening to go on strike to force Kumba Iron Ore to stop retrenching 175 workers at its operations in the Northern Cape, the union said on Monday.
“Kumba Iron Ore served the NUM with Section 189 notice of the Labour Relations Act to retrench workers last week. The notice suggests cutting 24 full-time job at Kolomela and 151 full-time jobs at Sishen,” said Lucas Phiri, NUM chief negotiator at Kumba Iron Ore.
He said the NUM would engage with Kumba Iron Ore management to halt the retrenchments and if the engagements do not work, would embark on a strike.
Phiri said according to the notice, jobs would be cut at Kumba’s Kolomela mine at Postamansburg and Sishen mine in Kathu.
“Unfortunately when the mining companies do not perform well to maximise their profit they resort to retrenching poor and ordinary workers.”
“There is a need for a real transformation in the mining industry that emphasise on human development, not only profits. The logic of capital requires constant growth in order to accumulate wealth, but this growth is, unfortunately, dependent on exploiting mineworkers who still earn poverty wages,” Phiri said.
Kumba Iron Ore could not be immediately reached for a comment.
Source: enca
