NUM angry, shocked by AngloGold’s proposed retrenchments

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is “extremely angry and shocked” at the “huge number of workers” that may be retrenched by AngloGold Ashanti at a time when the country is being plagued by a high rate of unemployment, it said on Thursday.

The gold miner on Wednesday announced that it would place its Savuka and Kopanang mines on care and maintenance and evaluate the integration of the TauTona mine into the Mponeng mine. This may result in as many as 8 500 employees being retrenched.

NUM said its AngloGold Ashanti national shop stewards council would meet next week to decide the way forward.

“We call on AngloGold Ashanti to rethink its position to retrench. They must create opportunities for job creation rather than increase profits at the expense of the poor mineworkers who earn poverty wages,” the union added.