Harmony Gold delays re-opening mine
2013-01-04 12:38
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Johannesburg
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Johannesburg - Harmony Gold decided to delay the post-festive-season
reopening of Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville to review its financial and
operational status after strikes, according to a report on Friday.
The Star reported that about 200 men sat outside the main entrance of the
mine on Thursday, after not knowing that operations would be closed until
further notice.
Harmony spokesperson Marian van der Walt told the newspaper that notices of
the temporary closure were distributed through the media and unions had been
notified.
She added that workers were sent home on 21 December and were told to remain
there until notified otherwise. Employees were informed that they would be paid
their basic salaries while at home.
In December, more than 1 000 employees staged an underground sit-in at the
mine demanding that their fellow employees, who had been suspended, be
reinstated.
Workers' committee member Lennox Tshisa told The Star that workers had not
been notified of the temporary closure, and many travelled from Lesotho and
Mozambique to report for work.
"It is clear that workers were not informed of this until they arrived
at the mine and realised they were homeless," he said, according to the
report.
Van der Walt said Harmony would continue to pay the salaries of more than 5 000
workers while operations at the Kusasalethu remained closed, and it expected
workers to return home.
- SAPA
