https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Solidarity, Assmang discuss alternatives to proposed retrenchments

17th September 2014

By: Leandi Kolver

Creamer Media Deputy Editor

  

Font size: - +

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Trade union Solidarity on Wednesday said it had been in discussions with the management of mining company Assmang, in Machadodorp, Mpumalanga, in an attempt to find alternatives to the retrenchment of as many as 60% of its employees.

Solidarity said Assmang had, this month, sent the union a Section 189 notice indicating that 220 employees could possibly be retrenched, in light of the company’s poor financial performance in recent years.

“In the past, the company has scaled down its ferrochrome production significantly due to the oversupply of this metal in the market. Although the company has also begun producing ferromanganese at its Machadodorp plant, production of this metal at this plant is not profitable at the moment either,” Solidarity metal industry organiser Cornelius van Leeuwen stated.

The union noted that it had discussed several possible solutions with the company, in the hope that Assmang would be able to turn around its financial performance in a way other than through retrenchments.

“Various options are currently being considered, although there isn’t clarity at this stage about what steps would eventually be taken,” Van Leeuwen said.

He added that, should the planned retrenchments occur, it would cause irreparable damage to the Machadodorp community, as a large percentage of the town’s residents were employed at the plant.

“We will do everything in our power to limit the impact of this process on our members and on the entire Machadodorp community,” Van Leeuwen concluded.

Mining Weekly Online was still awaiting comment from Assmang.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Online Managing Editor

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

Industrial Nozzles & Systems (Pty) Ltd
Industrial Nozzles & Systems (Pty) Ltd

Industrial Nozzles & Systems (Pty) Ltd (Est. 2000) exclusive representative in Southern Africa for LECHLER GmbH (Est. 1879) - Europe's leading...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
ATI Systems
ATI Systems

ATI systems comprises five divisions: electrical assemblies, drives and controls, feedback sensors, enclosures, and strip guiding.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.086 1.4s - 140pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now