RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AFP) -- Around 2,000 mineworkers angry at Anglo American Platinum‘s plans to cut 6,900 jobs in South Africa protested Tuesday, but said they would meet management before deciding on strike action.
Miners gathered at the Khomanani shaft in the northern city of Rustenburg to protest against Amplats’s plan, announced days after the anniversary of police shooting dead 34 miners at the nearby Marikana mine.
“The workers are not happy with the job losses,” said Joseph Mathunjwa, president of main worker labor group the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union.
“Job losses should come as a last resort,” Mathunjwa told AFP.
But amid a wave of strikes that have roiled the sector, AMCU officials were set to meet with management on Wednesday to discuss options.
“We‘re not going to strike right now,” said Gaddafi Mdoda, the branch leader at Khomanani, which is expected to close.
Miners voiced anger and fear about the plans, which would dramatically restructure operations to save costs.
