The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) over the weekend announced that it had declared a dispute over maternity leave and housing with South Africa’s second largest platinum miner Impala Platinum (Implats).
The declaration of the dispute followed a meeting between the two parties to address the implementation of existing agreements, NUM added.
Implats human resources executive Mike Teke said that the company wasn’t aware that the union had declared a dispute, as the company had received nothing in writing.
The company would issue a statement later on Monday, Teke added.
Implats management wanted to increase hostel fees, close kitchens and residential blocks so as to cut costs, NUM’s Implats representative Thabiso Poho said in a statement.
“This is indeed very strange given the boom in the platinum sector of the mining industry. That Implats does not want to convert the single sex hostels into family units in order to avoid these problems can only mean that they think these men are perfect in compounds where they are enclosed like animals,” NUM said.
“What is also of concern to workers is that the medical aid offered by the company does not enable them to include their spouses and dependants, and they cannot use it outside of the company because when they do so they have to bear the costs,” the union said.
“Another cause of the dispute is the fact that, while pregnant women do go on a four months paid maternity leave, their jobs are not secured upon their return and in most cases they lose them,” NUM alleged.
“This can only remind us of the dark days of apartheid when black women were subjected to birth control by racist white companies. For a big company such as Impala to be involved in such inhumane practices leaves a bad taste in our mouth,” the union alleged.
“The union has declared a dispute and will be engaging in internal dispute resolution processes with the management in the coming weeks,” NUM added. – I-Net Bridge