Zuko Komisa
Gold One Mine has dismissed 401 miners.
The employment of 401 employees at Gold One Mine, which is east of Johannesburg, has officially been terminated due to illegal sit-ins by miners at their underground gold mine.
The company asserts that these sit-ins were a reaction to ongoing conflict over organizing rights at the mine, which they view as illegal labor actions.
Despite the mine’s initial claim that AMCU-affiliated workers were staging the hostage situation, all underground workers were held responsible.
Management at Gold One Mine in Springs has intensified conditions under which of some of its workers have been suspended.
— Kaya 959 News (@KayaNews) January 9, 2024
It says it now no longer wants to see suspended workers near its operations. GM#KayaNews
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Ziyaad Hassam, Head of Legal at Gold One Mine, spoke to the SABC and said:
“We can confirm that 401 employees have been dismissed following illegal strikes in October and December last year. A further 140 employees are currently on suspension, with their hearings likely to take place within the next week.”
In protest of what they saw as an infringement on their right to organize, workers downed tools. Concerns and investigations were raised when more than 500 workers failed to emerge from an underground shaft, further exacerbating the situation.
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