More than 8,000 workers involved in an illegal strike at Gold Fields’ KDC East mine will be fired if they fail to return to work on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the company said
“We are going to have to wait and see if they come in for work,” spokesman Willie Jacobsz said.
Gold Fields issued a final ultimatum to striking workers at its KDC East mine on Friday.
“Gold Fields... regrets to advise that approximately 8500 of the 12,500 employees at KDC East, [who were] on an unlawful strike since 14 October, 2012, have not yet returned to work,” Jacobsz said at the time.
“Gold Fields, with the support of the board of directors, this afternoon issued a final ultimatum to present themselves for work starting with the night shift on Monday, 22 October 2012, and the morning and afternoon shifts on Tuesday... or face immediate dismissal.”
Strikers were told about a court order which declared their strike illegal, but refused to return to work.
“Striking employees and their representatives have also been given sufficient opportunities to make representations as to why they should not be dismissed, all of which were not taken up.”
After an initial ultimatum, Gold Fields reported a full worker turnout at most of its mines on Friday.
KDC East miners were not covered by the initial ultimatum, as their strike had started on October 14, whereas workers at the other shafts went on strike on August 29.
The KDC East workers were unhappy with the National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) branch leadership at the mine, said another Gold Fields spokesman Sven Lunsche.
After intervention by the union’s national leaders, the branch leadership stood down and a new election was scheduled for October.
However, since then intermittent violence between various factions had led to the arrest of a number of striking mineworkers and members of the NUM’s interim branch committee, he said.
On the morning of October 12, 14 workers and members of the interim committee were arrested for attempted murder, intimidation and violence after the former members of the mine’s NUM branch leadership were attacked.
That night, a group of miners went to the Westonaria police station where the 14 were being held. They demanded that their colleagues be released and vandalised the building.
Police arrested 74 miners for public violence.
The strike at KDC East resumed the next day. The workers’ only real demand was the release of those arrested, Lunsche said.
“This is clearly not in our control. We have won an interdict to declare the strike unlawful and unprotected and we are looking at all our options on how to bring it to an end.”
Gold Fields issues ultimatum
More than 8,000 workers involved in an illegal strike at Gold Fields’ KDC East mine will be fired if they fail to return to work on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the company said
“We are going to have to wait and see if they come in for work,” spokesman Willie Jacobsz said.
Gold Fields issued a final ultimatum to striking workers at its KDC East mine on Friday.
“Gold Fields... regrets to advise that approximately 8500 of the 12,500 employees at KDC East, [who were] on an unlawful strike since 14 October, 2012, have not yet returned to work,” Jacobsz said at the time.
“Gold Fields, with the support of the board of directors, this afternoon issued a final ultimatum to present themselves for work starting with the night shift on Monday, 22 October 2012, and the morning and afternoon shifts on Tuesday... or face immediate dismissal.”
Strikers were told about a court order which declared their strike illegal, but refused to return to work.
“Striking employees and their representatives have also been given sufficient opportunities to make representations as to why they should not be dismissed, all of which were not taken up.”
After an initial ultimatum, Gold Fields reported a full worker turnout at most of its mines on Friday.
KDC East miners were not covered by the initial ultimatum, as their strike had started on October 14, whereas workers at the other shafts went on strike on August 29.
The KDC East workers were unhappy with the National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) branch leadership at the mine, said another Gold Fields spokesman Sven Lunsche.
After intervention by the union’s national leaders, the branch leadership stood down and a new election was scheduled for October.
However, since then intermittent violence between various factions had led to the arrest of a number of striking mineworkers and members of the NUM’s interim branch committee, he said.
On the morning of October 12, 14 workers and members of the interim committee were arrested for attempted murder, intimidation and violence after the former members of the mine’s NUM branch leadership were attacked.
That night, a group of miners went to the Westonaria police station where the 14 were being held. They demanded that their colleagues be released and vandalised the building.
Police arrested 74 miners for public violence.
The strike at KDC East resumed the next day. The workers’ only real demand was the release of those arrested, Lunsche said.
“This is clearly not in our control. We have won an interdict to declare the strike unlawful and unprotected and we are looking at all our options on how to bring it to an end.”
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