No peace for Harmony, with strike leaving Kusasalethu mine at standstill
Harmony says a strike began on Friday and continued at the weekend, prompting the miner to seek an urgent interdict against the strike from the labour court
Harmony Gold’s most troubled mine, Kusasalethu, is at a standstill because of labour strife spilling violence into nearby communities.Workers embarked on an unprotected stoppage to protest against the company’s dismissal of the branch leadership of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), for its role in unprotected industrial action at the mine earlier in 2017.Harmony said the strike started on Friday and continued at the weekend, prompting the company to seek an urgent interdict against the strike from the labour court, on Monday.The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Amcu’s rival in the platinum and gold sectors, alleged four of its members’ houses and cars were set alight at the weekend as tension at the mine spilt over into nearby communities around Carletonville.Kusasalethu, which has been plagued by labour stoppages and violence, was scaled back to mine just high-grade areas of the mine, a decision that slashed the life of the mine to just five years fr...
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