The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa will meet with their members today affiliated to the Glencore Rustenburg Smelter after receiving a section 189 notice from Glencore.
Glencore has indicated that they need to retrench 665 workers employed at the smelter. According to the notice the company is experiencing operational difficulties and needs to consult alternatives to save the smelter.
Glencore has cited the high cost of electricity, and increase in carbon tax and logistics costs as some of the reasons it needs to downsize. Numsa says the CCMA has been requested to facilitate consultations.
Recently communities of N4 Cluster in Rustenburg in the North West have handed over a memorandum of demands to Samancor Chrome and Sibanye-Stillwater mines, which have operations in their areas.
The N4 Cluster consists of eight communities which include Bapong, Marikana, Majakaneng, Mooinooi and Wonderkop.
See video below for related news on retrenchments at Sibanye-Stillwater:
These communities are against the ongoing retrenchments and are demanding that locals be employed.
They are also calling on the mining companies to implement their Social Labour Plans, as dictated by the Mining Charter.
Community leader Solly Madibela says: “Within two months of taking over, Sibanye has already retrenched 5 000 people without consulting the right structures. It is inhumane that this Sibanye company does not give people notice of Section 189 that they are retrenching people. We just see the mine having contractors that are not even from the community without consulting us. That is undermining the community.”
