Operations have halted at all Gold Fields mines in South Africa while workers strike over housing allowances, a company spokesperson said on Thursday.
”All three of the operations are on strike. None of the workers that were supposed to be on shift today showed up,” said Gold Fields spokesperson Willie Jacobsz.
He said that, in striking, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is going against a signed agreement with the company, and Gold Fields has applied for a court interdict to get the miners back to work.
”Once they are back at work, we will talk. We are happy to negotiate.”
The decision on the interdict will be made later on Thursday, Jacobsz said.
The company should be producing about 300kg of gold a day, which translates to a loss of revenue of about R25-million.
NUM spokesperson Moferefere Lekorotsoana was dismissive of the interdict. He said the union is waiting for Gold Fields management to start negotiations.
The almost 30 000 workers are striking over a living-out allowance, which they want increased to R1 200. The allowance enables miners to live away from the single-sex hostels provided by the mines.
Jacobsz said he is disturbed by the intimidation in the strike.
”In the Free State, they barricaded the mine. Not even the managers could enter.”
Meanwhile, 21 000 strikers at Harmony Gold’s Free State operations could be joined by another 50 000 Harmony mineworkers, Lekorotsoana said.
Harmony workers are also striking about housing, as well as alleged racism and non-compliance with the mining charter.
The strike started last week, and talks ground to a halt on Wednesday. Lekorotsoana said management is not being serious about negotiations, and insisted on communicating by letter instead of sitting down to talk.
Harmony management could not be reached for comment on Thursday, as the entire office was at a strategy workshop.
The company is said to be losing about R1-million a day.
Many gold-mining companies are warning of serious retrenchments because their operations are becoming unprofitable owing to the strength of the rand.
Asked why workers are striking in this uncertain climate, Lekorotsoana said: ”These are very serious problems that the companies should have addressed two years ago already. We have nothing to lose.” — Sapa