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Cape Town – Mineworkers affiliated with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have downed tools at the Hotazel manganese mines, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, over a disagreement about an Employee Share Ownership Scheme (ESOP).
Lulu Letlape of BHP BIlliton SA told Fin24 that HMM has been engaging with employees and NUM on these claims since 2007 and these engagements led to an agreement in 2012 whereby employees received a once off financial settlement to resolve their claims.
“According to the conditions of the new ESOP, NUM agreed that all matters related to 2007 ESOP including previous proposals, presentations and discussions were annulled by the settlement.
“Subsequent to the 2012 agreement, NUM did take the company to the CCMA where the CCMA ruled in favour of the company and considered this matter resolved,” she said.
CCMA ruling
NUM Kimberley Regional Co-ordinator, Lucas Phiri, told Fin24 BHP Billiton owes each of its approximately 900 workers R62 000 from the scheme.
“The situation at the moment is the workers are still on strike to support their demands. We are negotiating with the company to put something on the table in order to resolve the matter once and for all,” he said.
“Until the company makes an offer the workers will remain on strike.”
According to Phiri the CCMA ruled that they do not have jurisdiction and could not preside on the issue of shares.
In a statement on Monday NUM said it will deploy a high-level team to investigate the root cause and challenges that led the employees and some of its members to down tools.
"As a signatory to the Framework Agreement for a Sustainable Mining Industry, we call on all HMM employees to allow current discussions between the NUM-led Task Team and HMM Management to continue," it said
At the time NUM called on workers to return to their shifts at both Wessels and Mamatwane mining operations.
NUM has suggested two other triggers for the current action including a suspension of a NUM member at Wessels and the disinvestment of BHP Billiton.
