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NUM members strike at Glencore coal mine

Johannesburg - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Monday its members had downed tools at the Koornfontein coal mine operated by Glencore in a dispute over pay.

The strike started on Friday after the company and NUM deadlocked at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), acting national spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said in a statement.

The strike was at the mine's Gloria shaft.

Glencore spokesperson Gugulethu Maqetuka said in a statement that around 500 NUM members at the mine had gone on strike.

"This follows the decision by the company to offer retrenchment packages to employees as a result of restructuring at the mine, following difficult market conditions," said Maqetuka.

"Glencore has undertaken to explore the redeployment of some of the employees to other Glencore Coal operations where vacancies exist."

The company was putting together support services for affected employees.

Mammburu said workers were being paid one week of service per year in severance pay, while at other operations they were being paid three weeks of service per year.

NUM Highveld regional secretary Stanley Lebelo said: "Why is the company paying separate packages? Glencore is deviating from the same formula it is using at other operations like Tweefontein and Tugo.

"This company is very arrogant because even when we were dealing with picketing rules we could not reach an agreement because they wanted to impose their own picketing rules."

He said the CCMA imposed reasonable picketing rules on the parties.

"We are being undermined and we will make sure they feel the pinch. We are also intending to apply for a secondary strike from other Glencore operations," said Lebelo.

* What do you think could be done to avoid another protracted strike in the mining industry? Send us your views - you could get published.




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