The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) calls for the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, to urgently intervene in the imminent retrenchments at SERITI Resources. The company has been on a wild streak of Section 189 notices which will leave a staggering 1 143 workers out of jobs.

COSATU supports its Affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), whose members have been directly affected by these impulsive retrenchments. We concur with NUM’s assessment that SERITI is proving to be a callous employer with exploitative intentions and relentless greed. It has served retrenchment notices to employees at its operations at Middleburg Mines, Khutala, Klipspruit,Kriel and MMS. What is beyond shocking is the company’s replacement of permanent, highly skilled employees with contractors to fulfil its main objective of exploitation and to maximise profit.

SERITI Resources has clearly demonstrated an unsavoury attitude towards collective bargaining and trade unions in the name of adopting a so called ‘New Business Model’ after taking the reins from Anglo and South 32. To impulsively embark on a jobs bloodbath at the expense of hundreds of workers who have families to feed in a strained economy is vicious.

If the company is unable to run operations that have had successful business models for years and boomed through the blood, sweat and tears of the very workers they plan to discard, it should seek assistance instead of taking ill-conceived decisions.

COSATU trusts that Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe will heed our joint call with our vigilant Affiliate, NUM, and engage productively to save the jobs of these employees.

Issued by COSATU

Zanele Sabela COSATU National Spokesperson

Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639

Email: zanele@cosatu.org.za