BHP Billiton plans to axe 150 out of 950 employees at its Hotazel Manganese Mines (HMM), trade union Solidarity said on Monday.
Spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans said the process to retrench the 150 employees got under way at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in Kimberley on Monday.
He said that, according to the company, HMM had come under pressure because of the drop in demand for manganese needed to produce steel. Economic conditions were placing pressure on all companies in all industries, he said.
”However, the pressure on the communities of the Northern Cape is now reaching alarming levels. The region’s mines, including diamond and manganese in particular, are being affected by the economic climate.”
The trade union urged the company to seek an alternative to retrenchment, which should be considered as a last resort.
He hoped the talks before the CCMA would be an attempt to limit the effects of the crisis on HMM employees.
Hotazel consists of the Wessels and Mamatwan mines, located just outside Hotazel in the Northern Cape. — Sapa