Share

NUM, Msobo Coal in talks to end strike over lay-offs

Johannesburg - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the Department of Mineral Resources and Msobo Coal are set to meet on Wednesday morning to resolve a dispute at Msobo that has seen NUM members embark on a strike on Monday.


The company issued letters of termination on November 23 2015, according to NUM.

NUM Highveld Regional Organiser Bongani Tshabalala on Tuesday said the union is pushing for the company to reverse its decision to retrench workers at the mine. NUM has accused Msobo of failing to consult it “meaningfully” on the retrenchments.

“They did not consider avoidance measures as per the stakeholder agreement signed by Chamber of Mines, labour and government. Our view as the NUM is that the purpose of this retrenchment is to dismiss permanent employees and replace them with contractors. It is clear that Msobo Coal is behaving exactly like (the) Optimum Glencore Mine,” the union said.

Tshabalala also disputed the company’s assertion that it has resorted to retrenchments because of financial problems. “The mine is profitable. Our own auditors have confirmed that the company is liquid,” he said.

The strike will not affect Eskom’s coal supply as Msobo does not supply the utility with coal, according to Eskom. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.06
-0.4%
Rand - Pound
23.74
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.25
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.19
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.2%
Platinum
971.00
-0.5%
Palladium
1,023.00
0.0%
Gold
2,367.68
-0.7%
Silver
28.03
-2.9%
Brent Crude
90.10
-0.4%
Top 40
66,846
-2.2%
All Share
72,959
-2.1%
Resource 10
61,221
-4.2%
Industrial 25
98,384
-1.8%
Financial 15
15,683
-0.9%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders