Num section 189 protest march to Sibanye Stillwater - 11 May 2024

MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS TO SIBANYE-STILLWATER - NO TO RETRENCHMENTS OF MINE AND CONTRACT WORKERS

• BACKGROUND

Sibanye-Stillwater has over the past years earned the title of worst employer amongst workers. Sibanye could manage to pay their CEO Neal Froneman a salary of R13 336 000 and a bonus of almost double that at R13 304 000. Sibanye-Stillwater and its CEO had long demonstrated that they have no best interest of workers in his heart. The arrogance of Froneman does not only undermine mineworkers but the country in its entirety.

It is on record that for the past years Sibanye-Stillwater destroyed permanent jobs of many workers and destabilised livelihoods of many families. One mineworker is able to support more than 10 family members.

Sibanye-Stillwater has successfully destroyed such livelihoods under the watchful eyes of both the departments of Mineral Resources and energy and Employment and Labour as primary custodians of mining operations, and workers respectively. 

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will not allow Sibanye-Stillwater and Froneman to run away with murder and continue to exploit workers by using the minerals that belong to the people.

Froneman is not the government, and he is not the owner of the minerals in this country.

We find it strange and unsettling that our own government is so quiet when this man is undermining the very core of the Freedom Charter, which proclaims that the minerals belong to the people. We will never rest until this is addressed.

• RETRENCHMENT OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS

Of recent, Sibanye-Stillwater issued Section 189 notice, notifying about its plans to retrench about 4 000 mineworkers. This is capitalist barbarism at its best. Sibanye-Stillwater has been retrenching workers every year with the intention of cutting costs and making huge profits at the expense of mineworkers. This is despite the fact that the gold price is high. These also come-out as we are about to enter into wage negotiations with the company.

The retrenchment of 3 107 mineworkers and about 915 contractors is a huge number. This is brutality at its best. This evil and heartless decision will bring a bleak, dark and difficult lives for our members and their dependents.

This company has been retrenching thousands of mine workers each year since it was founded way back in 2013. The only year that it did not retrench was the year 2021.

• SALARY CUT OF THE CEO

The NUM has noted with disgust the recent announcement by the company that there will be R140 million salary cut for its CEO. These are some of the tactics employed by the company to further confuse and fool workers. As the NUM, we are not buying into that.

In fact, as the NUM we are calling for the Sibanye-Stillwater top management and the CEO Neal Froneman to resign as they are unable to stabilise and run the mining company. The NUM is sick and tired of such retrenchments every year.

• TRANSFORMATION

Mineworkers and the immediate communities surrounding Sibanye-Stillwater operations are deeply trapped in poverty because of people of Froneman’s calibre. Sibanye-Stillwater is not doing enough to support or promote local business development.

• CARE AND MAINTENANCE AS TOOL TO RETRENCH WORKERS

Froneman is the major destroyer of jobs in the mining industry. He did buy the Cook operations some years ago in the gold sector and immediately placed them under care and maintenance resulting in huge job losses through retrenchments. Froneman's main objective is to punish workers and their families.

The mining companies use care and maintenance as a retrenchment tool, for the reason that retrenchments are known to be a time-consuming process compared to care and maintenance process which is effective and short.  

The mining companies that are placing mines under care and maintenance should engage with the DMRE to explain their reasoning and find alternative solutions.

The Department must eagerly implement the ‘use it or lose it’ principle for mines placed under care and maintenance for an indefinite period.

DMRE must put a process in place for interested mining companies to bid for taking over the mines placed under care and maintenance to ensure optimal mining of ore deposits.

• OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT

Once again, Sibanye-Stillwater has over the past years earned the title of worst employer amongst workers, holding the record of the most mineworkers killed and the highest levels of inequality in the mining industry.

The issues of health and safety at Sibanye-Stillwater are being compromised. Sibanye-Stillwater is regressing in terms of addressing the health and safety at various operations.

The NUM remained resolute that one death of a mineworker is one too many.  It is the view of the NUM that mining companies must adopt radar technology as a safety measure, to detect when a rock might fall underground.

The NUM strongly believes that there are accidents that could be easily prevented through technology.

Our revolutionary character does not allow us not to act while mineworkers’ wellbeing is compromised and mineworkers suffer under your employment.

It is quite disturbing that the poor mineworkers, who are earning peanuts, continue to die like flies in the industry that is careless about their sweat and blood.

The NUM had longtime ago expressed serious concerns with regard to the shortages of Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) Inspectors within the mining industry. It cannot be correct that the DMRE only employs 150 inspectors. If the government regards mining as a critical industry for the country's economic growth, the department must be fully capacitated to inspect all the mines across the country.

There is a general understanding and appreciation that the health and safety of mineworkers is central to the long-term sustainability of the mining industry. It is the workers who convert investments in the industry into wealth. Therefore, it remains a collective duty for all social partners to ensure that mineworkers return home from work unharmed every day.

Therefore, this gigantic and revolutionary trade union, the NUM, has converged here today to say to you:

• Stop your plans now of retrenching thousands of mineworkers
• Stop playing politics with the lives of workers and their families
• If you are no longer interested in mining in this country, please leave and leave our minerals behind
• We demand Sibanye-Stillwater to respect the country’s labour laws
• We are saying NO to privatisation of protection services
• We demand proper health and safety measures for workers underground
• We demand the DMRE to take an immediate action against Sibanye-Stillwater
• We demand Sibanye-Stillwater to end fatalities at its various operations
• Unlock food ban for mineworkers underground
• Protect the Health and Safety Act

The NUM therefore gives Sibanye-Stillwater fourteen (14) days to respond to these demands. If Sibanye-Stillwater fails to respond to the workers demands within the fourteen days (14) period, it is expected that the next gear in a form of a programme of an intensive industrial action will be announced.

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/10086002340216