Scores of mineworkers stage sit-in at Sibanye-Stillwater
Over 200 mineworkers have staged an underground sit-in at Sibanye-Stillwater's Kwezi Shaft in Rustenburg.
The miners downed tools on Monday in protest against the proposed Employee Share Ownership Scheme for Kroondal mine employees.
The mine management said mineworkers are demanding dividends from the 50% acquisition of Anglo Platinum’s share in the Kroondal mine, which has yet to be concluded.
In 2022, Sibanye-Stillwater said it would acquire Anglo American Platinum’s share in the Kroondal platinum operation and become a sole owner.
Sibanye says it expects to complete the transaction by the end of the year, at which time the Kroondal employees will be part of the Rustenburg employee shares option scheme.
Executive Vice President James Wellsted says no shares will be given to employees until the transaction has been completed.
"The problem is the transaction hasn't been completed yet, and as a result, they're not eligible for payments. We made payments as per agreement to Rustenburg and Marikana share employees on Friday.
"But there seems to have been an expectation from some of the Kroondal employees that they should also have received payments, and as a result, they're striking,"
"Several engagements took place between the company, organised labour, and employees regarding the proposed ESOP as per the provision, with the parties agreeing that Kroondal employees would be included as beneficiaries of the Rustenburg ESOP, following the conclusion of the PSA transaction."
Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers said there was an agreement that a feasibility study to establish an ESOP would be done within 90 days, but nothing was achieved.
"That clause was not honoured as part of the wage agreement, that it did not do anything to make sure that that feasibility is done so that there could be a ESOP that could benefit workers," said spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu.
"We think that Sibanye allowed this situation that we see unfolding at Kroondal to happen because if they cared about establishing an ESOP scheme at the company, they could have done a feasibility study, and there could be ESOP today."
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