NUM members at Sibanye Gold to embark on a massive march this coming Saturday

NUM Press Statement,  28 September 2016

NUM members at Sibanye Gold to embark on a massive march this coming Saturday 

The National Union of Mineworkers(NUM) members in all Sibanye Gold operations in the gold sector will embark on a massive march this coming Saturday (1st October 2016) to express their growing dissatisfaction and frustration arising out of the consistent attacks unleashed by Sibanye Gold against them.  

The NUM members at Sibanye Gold have decided to take the fight out of the board rooms and discussion roundtable into the streets so that the people of South Africa and the world must know the difficulties faced by the workers and the working class at the shop floor of capitalist dictates and greed .

The march will take place as follows.

Date: Saturday, 01 October 2016

Time: 12h00 to 15h30.

Assemble Point: Westonaria Sports Complex and proceed to Sibanye Gold Offices at Libanon Business Park.

The NUM members are demanding the following.

1.    The unilateral revocation of collective agreements.

The NUM hereby commits to fight the unilateral termination of all collective agreements which were signed between the employer and NUM. These agreements are now being replaced by the imposition of more oppressive company legislative policies intended to entrench exploitation in the name of productivity. Progressive provisions on matters like Abet and Recognition Agreements are being eroded at the expense of workers.

2.    Reliving and acting policies

As the workers, we are also observant of the trend of imposition relating to the policy of reliving including acting policy. We view the changes in this regard as part of the intransigence of rogue capital in our country. This behaviour is a demonstration of the fact that a new abusive corporate culture is on the rise in the mining industry led by Sibanye Gold.  

3.    OB SECURITY 

4.1    Closure of Rand Uranium and Ezwulwini

Sibanye Gold CEO Neal Froneman while making new acquisitions in the platinum sector using money created by gold assets and workers thereof mercilessly employs job culling tactics of retrenchments at Rand Uranium and Ezwulini Cooke 4. Froneman makes profits by focusing on retrenchments. Our members are going to fight this man the same way they brought down the apartheid government.

We call on the company to appreciate the contributions made by gold sector employees to the growth of the financial muscle of Sibanye Gold such that today it is expanding in the platinum sector. 

4.2    Reskilling and transfers 

It is against this background we call on the company to reskill some of the affected workers and subsequently transfer them to the new operations in the platinum sector. This will avoid retrenchment and unemployment.

5.    Labour brokers

  We are also aware that the company is retrenching incumbent workers to only to  replace them with cheap labour under the auspices of labour brokers. This   devaluation of labour we shall continue to reject with the contempt it deserves. 

6.    Attack on NUM 

6.1    Sabotage of stop-orders 

As if the above was not enough the company under the stewardship of Neal Froneman, so-called Mr. Fix –it, while we know him as Mr.  bungle   is pursuing a strategy of sabotage and subterfuge to prune the growth of NUM by deliberately failing to process the stop-orders from our organisation . It is against this background we also reject GRP and call for freedom of choice for all employees.

7.    Housing

We call on the company to ensure that all company houses be put up for sale not at market value but at a negotiated arrangement with the incumbent occupiers being given first priority . Furthermore, we demand that all low-cost houses to be affordable and repayment bond not to exceed the current LOA.

8.    Prepaid metering system 

We demand an immediate cessation of the introduction and use of smart meters.

9.    Empowerment scheme  

We demand that Sibanye Gold must divorce the Thusano trust scheme and establish its own share scheme.

10.    Affirmative action 

We demand that Sibanye Gold embarks on meaningful transformation which should reflect an appreciation of demographic realities of South Africa in terms of appointments.

11.    Discrimination 

NUM continues to stand firm and irrevocably against the discrimination of service employees pertaining to training and development. Thus we demand that all service employees benefit fully from any training and development by the company.

12.    Leadership forums 

We demand that Sibanye Gold must always respect and honour Group leadership forum and its decision.

13.    Conclusion 

Having noted and outlined our observations and demands we commit not to rest     until these matters are addressed substantially and urgently. We shall march in the     streets of our land, mobilise all necessary resources until till these demands become   victories for all.

For further information, please contact

Livhuwani Mammburu: NUM National Spokesperson: 083 809  3257

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/100860023402167