Anglo American Platinum reinstates fired striking workers

Anglo American Platinum said on Thursday the unprotected strike that led to the dismissal of 643 employees at the Mototolo mine “has been resolved”, with the company reinstating those workers.

This followed talks with the General Industrial Workers Union (GIWUSA) over the past three weeks, the miner said.

The parties agreed on Wednesday that all dismissed employees would be reinstated and would report for duty by Friday.

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“In terms of the agreement, the union has accepted that the proposed medical aid meets the requirement of the Section 197 transfer,” the company said.

While the “no work, no pay” principle would be applied for the duration of the strike, the agreement made provision for the employees to earn back the income they had lost through additional shifts “and to make up for lost production”.

“We are pleased that we have been able to reach a mutually acceptable outcome through negotiations,” said Anglo American Platinum CEO Chris Griffith.

“Our priority is now to safely restore the mine to full production as quickly as it is practical to do so.”

hedleyn@businesslive.co.za