Amplats workers react to retrenchments with planned strike

[ToxicBunny]

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-09-24-amplats-workers-set-to-down-tools

Anglo American Platinum workers will down tools to force the firm to reconsider 3 300 retrenchments at its South African operations, a union said on Tuesday.

"The strike is commencing on Friday morning," said Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) treasurer Jimmy Gama.

The top global producer on September 2 handed 3 300 employees dismissal notices as part of a restructuring, and announced earlier it would offer a further 1 600 workers voluntary severance packages.

Talks with unions following the announcement broke down, said Gama.

Amcu, which represents 40% of the workforce at the firm's main operations in Rustenburg north-west of Johannesburg, said few applications for severance packages had been successful.

"There are still applications that the company doesn't want to approve. The company is rushing to forcefully retrench workers," said Gama.

Confirmed planned strike
The stoppages would affect Rustenburg and Limpopo operations in the north of the country, he added.

Amplats spokesperson Mpumi Sithole confirmed the planned strike.

"We received notice from Amcu yesterday," she told Agence France-Presse.

The industrial action occurs amid ongoing unrest in the mining sector, which accounts for a fifth of Africa's largest economy.

Violent strikes spread across the industry in August 2012 after a deadly police crackdown at Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana, where officers shot dead 34 people in one day.

After wage increases last year, Amplats announced 14 000 job cuts, but since then backed down under government and union pressure to limit cuts to 4 900. – AFP

 

[ToxicBunny]

What exactly did these idiots EXPECT to happen after striking for so damn long last year and demanding stupid wage hikes?

 

[zippy]

What exactly did these idiots EXPECT to happen after striking for so damn long last year and demanding stupid wage hikes?

They got other problems too. Their yields are getting lower and lower making their South African mines very expensive despite the average wages for South African miners being amongst the lowest in the world. These mines don't have long to go it seems. Same thing happened to British coal mines.

South Africa is going to have a lot of unemployed miners sitting about.....

Unfortunately their isn't the leadership anywhere to manage this. Not in the govt, any opposition or the private sector. Head in sand syndrome.

 

[Ancalagon]

So they strike, which costs the mines so much money, that they are forced to let workers go - on top of the declining mineral reserves in SA - and to solve the problem, they think striking is a good idea?

 

[MKFrost]

Have they ever contemplated the opposite of a strike i.e.working longer hours at a reduced overtime rate and by doing so increasing overall profitability through increased productivity and by doing so possibly saving those 3,300 jobs.... is that not also called solidarity....

Guess we will never experience such a concerted effort to save jobs by the workforce of this country.....

 

[Solarion]

I'm playing the world's smallest violin for these miners.

Being unemployed over Christmas is gonna suck

 

[dlk001]

Have they ever contemplated the opposite of a strike i.e.working longer hours at a reduced overtime rate and by doing so increasing overall profitability through increased productivity and by doing so possibly saving those 3,300 jobs.... is that not also called solidarity.....

They work 8hrs, 3 shifts. They cannot work longer hrs. Also, there are safety concerns in mining so longer working hrs are not recommended.

 

[MKFrost]

They work 8hrs, 3 shifts. They cannot work longer hrs. Also, there are safety concerns in mining so longer working hrs are not recommended.

Longer hours can be worked, I worked on the mines when I left school and did many 16 hour shifts.

In any case... my post was aiming at this 'entitlement' lifestyle we have grown into. Years back people would have made a plan together in how to save the company/jobs and each would be willing to sacrifice in some way or another for the collective good.

That is nonexistent today, its all about me, what I can get and what I'm entitled to....

 

[grok]

So they wanna put out a fire by throwing more petrol on it?

Fools.