A task team set up by three trade unions met on Monday to investigate the proposed retrenchment of over 5 000 mine workers, the Solidarity trade union said.
Solidarity, the National Union of Mineworkers, and the United Association of South Africa met in Centurion, Pretoria, on Monday, to plan their response to the planned retrenchments.
Solidarity spokesperson Dirk Hermann said a task team would begin investigations on Tuesday at Harmony’s mine in Randfontein.
The investigation would include physical inspections by an independent geologist of all six mine shafts that Harmony planned to close.
The team would also include a ”well-known economist” and a financial analyst.
Hermann said: ”The unions are of the opinion that the dismissals will be detrimental to the local communities, and the unions are not satisfied with the reasons put forward by Harmony to justify the lay-offs.”
Following the task team’s investigation, the unions would meet Harmony on May 3 to seek a joint solution, Hermann said.
On April 2, Harmony announced it might have to close the shafts which have become too expensive to mine due to the current gold price in rands per kilogram. This would result in at least 6 300 workers losing their jobs. – Sapa