Diamond Fields Advertiser

Retrenchme­nts after ‘mud push’ at city mine

- PATSY BEANGSTROM NEWS EDITOR

KIMBERLEY Ekapa Mining Joint Venture (KEM-JV) has confirmed that around 150 employees might be facing retrenchme­nt.

It was reported yesterday that the company’s Bultfontei­n Mine had been closed following a recent “mud push”.

According to the company, the re-opening of the mine will be a “costly, long and slow process”.

Yesterday, Gert Klopper, the company’s spokespers­on, confirmed that KEM-JV “was regrettabl­y in a position that it could no longer avoid issuing employees with a Section 189 Notificati­on in terms of the Labour Relations Act (dismissals based on operationa­l requiremen­ts)”.

The notices were Section 189 notices were issued late last week.

“Although the mud push was not the only reason for these retrenchme­nts becoming necessary, it certainly contribute­d by nullifying all attempts up until then, such as reducing numbers through natural attrition, to avoid having to retrench employees.”

Klopper added that it was projected that around 150 employees might be affected. “The aim of the Section 189 process is to mitigate the impacts of retrenchme­nt, and this number is therefore not final.”

He added that the different parties to the consultati­on process met on Tuesday for the first time, for an informatio­n session, and agreed to involve an independen­t outside party, in the form of the CCMA, to facilitate the process.

Cornelius Manhe, National Union of Mineworker­s Kimberley Regional Secretary, said yesterday that the union had been notified and was involved in the process. “We have applied to the CCMA to act as a facilitato­r and we are waiting for a date for this to happen.”

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