JOHANNESBURG, Sept 4 (Reuters) – South African bullion miner
Gold Fields said on Tuesday that trade union leadership
intervention in a wildcat strike made a return to production
more likely.
About 12,000 workers have been on strike at the east section
of its KDC mine in South Africa for almost a week.
Spokesperson Sven Lunsche said the company was losing 1,650
ounces of production a day and it had until Monday used
stockpiles, it was now two days that the stay away had impacted
directly on production.
Unlike the violent strikes that have tainted the South
African platinum industry, Gold Fields believes worker
discontent stems from an internal dispute within the local
branch leaders of the NUM and its members.
National Union of Mineworkers president Senzeni Zokwana
addressed a mass meeting at the mine on Tuesday and has agreed
to bring the branch leaders and disgruntled members face to face
on Wednesday.
“This is positive development that could see the workers
returning to duty soon,” said Lunsche.
“The president’s intervention has made a return to
production more likely.”
Shares of Gold Fields have shed 6.56 percent in the last
five days, which is in line with the 6.34 percent fall in the
JSE’s Gold Mining Index.
(Reporting by Sherilee Lakmidas, editing by William Hardy)
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