NUM wants First Uranium CEO axed

The National Union of Mineworkers urged mining company First Uranium to fire its CEO on Tuesday after the company announced it might retrench 1800 mineworkers due to a shortfall in production.

The union accused the company of not following proper procedures, saying that it did not exhaust internal measures and consultations with the unions before the announcement.

“[This] appears to be aimed at pouring cold water over the government’s job creation plan,” said spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka in a statement.

“When companies perform well, it is the CEO who smiles all the way to the bank. When companies perform badly, it should be the same CEO who must be made to walk rather than the poor workers who get nothing after all.”

Lesiba vowed that the union would take the company “to the cleaners” should it have to.

“NUM has not been consulted over these so-called retrenchments and would demand that consultation should take place,” he said.

First Uranium CEO Deon van der Mescht would not comment until after a conference call with stakeholders on Tuesday.

The company’s spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.—Sapa