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Johannesburg - The strike at Gold Fields' KDC gold mine was
continuing on Monday, the mine said.
"Gold Fields Limited regrets to announce that employees
of the East Section of the KDC Gold Mine... continue to engage in an unlawful
and unprotected strike," spokesperson Sven Lunsche said in a statement.
"Approximately 12 000 employees are participating in
the strike which started with the night shift on August 29 (Wednesday). To date
three night shifts as well as two day shifts have been lost."
He said it appeared the strike was a result of an internal
dispute within the local branch leaders of the National Union of Mineworkers
(Num) and its members.
Gold Fields [JSE:GFI] and mine leaders were continuing to
talk to stakeholders, including local, regional and national Num leaders, to
maintain peace and resolve the problem.
Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland called on them to place the
safety and security of employees ahead of any partisan interests and to hold
discussions in good faith, with a view to finding a peaceful solution.
Gold Fields has been granted an urgent interdict to end the
strike, but the company's South African head Peter Turner said that while the
company had the right to proceed with the interdict, Gold Fields preferred to
work with Num to resolve the matter.
Holland said the company was giving the matter the highest
priority and had asked the department of mineral resources and the Num to help
find a solution.
Lunsche said reports that the strike was a result of the
unilateral implementation by the company of a funeral policy scheme were
inaccurate and devoid of truth.
Num spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka confirmed that the dispute
had shifted from the funeral benefit and was now about leadership concerns
within the local branch.
"Num leadership is there to advise and we hope the matter will be sorted out soon," he said.
