Striking Harmony workers return to surface at Kusasalethu
Workers on a wildcat strike at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine have all returned to the surface. The gold miner said in a Sens statement on Friday morning that all employees had returned to the surface shortly before midnight on Thursday, "following all-night discussions between management and union leaders". The sit-in lasted nearly 48 hours, but it was only late on Thursday that the company learned of the workers’ demands. An independent investigation of the sit-in would be conducted, Harmony said in Friday’s statement. The company said on Thursday that it was unclear whether there had been intimidation, or whether all 1,700 workers had opted to stay underground voluntarily. "We are pleased that a resolution has been reached and that all our employees have returned to surface safely," Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp said on Friday. The statement did not give details of the resolution.
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