A task team comprising government officials and mining representatives has been set up to look at how to avert retrenchments in the mining sector, state news agency BuaNews reported on Tuesday.
Government and representatives of the mining sector met in Pretoria on Monday to discuss possible solutions to the retrenchments that have been planned or could be announced with mining groups coming under severe pressure amid global economic turmoil.
Department of Minerals and Energy Director General Sandile Nogxina said there was a need for government and all stakeholders in the mining sector to come up with possible solutions to the current crisis.
”We need to have a response plan to avert retrenchments; we have agreed that retrenchments should be the last option,” said Nogxina.
The task team has been given 20 days to look into the matter.
National Union of Mineworkers secretary general Frans Baleni said those attending the meeting agreed to find better mechanisms to deal with the crisis.
”The task team will be probing the issue and hopefully will come up with a solution,” said Baleni.
While BuaNews reported that about 9 000 jobs were at stake, potential retrenchments totalling 11 300 have already been announced.
Solidarity’s Dereck Hermann said he was quite positive that there would be a solution.
”Workers and employers agreed to come together and resolve the problem,” he said.
Without a solution to the looming job losses, some mineworkers will not be returning to work as early as January next year.
Meanwhile, a miner was killed underground at AngloGold Ashanti’s Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney on Tuesday morning, the company said.
”The cause of death was injuries sustained in a locomotive accident on level 73 at about 4am,” said spokesperson Julia Schoeman in a statement.
The Minerals and Energy Department, trade unions and mine management have begun investigating the cause of the accident. — I-Net Bridge, Sapa