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The National Union of Mineworkers  (NUM) is outraged and highly shocked by Sibanye Gold mine’s decision to dismiss more than 2000 workers, 1 100 being members of the NUM.

The workers were dismissed after they were coerced and intimidated to participate in an illegal strike allegedly led by AMCU members at Sibanye Gold Cooke operations.

The NUM is already preparing itself, pulling out all its available resources to fight this barbaric and, anti-worker attitude shown by Sibanye Gold.

“Out of the more 2000 workers, 1100 are NUM members. We will ensure that our members are reinstated as they are wrongly dismissed,” said NUM President Piet Matosa.

The NUM will also like to put blame squarely in the hands of AMCU for having enticed workers to embark on an illegal strike.
Amcu members are opposing a ban on food supply to underground workers, of which the purpose is to eliminate activities of illegal mining at the mine. Most workers launched complain that the illegal miners were demanding food from them.

The illegal strike has resulted in 16 NUM members attacked and assaulted last week while going to work. Four of those 16 members were critically injured and had to be airlifted to Milpark hospital, in Johannesburg.

The NUM will continue to fight capitalists barbarians in the mining industry that always divides black mineworkers and encourage them to be assaulted and killed.

The NUM will fight tooth and nail to make sure that its members are reinstated and not dismissed cheaply.

Issued by NUM