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Statement by Stanford Mazhindu, spokesperson of the trade union UASA:
 
A substantial number of UASA members employed at mining company Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations have received section 189 notices.
 
UASA is part of the section 189 process at Sibanye-Stillwater and will have to find a way to sugar coat the bitter pill of possible retrenchment for our workers. We will resist the job cuts tooth and nail.
 
South Africa already ranks among the worst in the world in terms of unemployment figures and retrenched workers will simply add to the woes of an already desperate situation. Despite the somewhat improved employment figures announced this week by Stats SA, the economy clearly does not have the capacity to absorb work seekers or to safeguard existing jobs.

As poor economic growth figures further inhibit employment creation, it is the workers’ heads on the butcher’s block.
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UASA will interrogate Sibanye-Stillwater’s rationale for the intended retrenchments and will make presentations to the company in this regard.
 
We intend to influence the company’s selection criteria according to which employees are to be declared redundant and will creatively explore ways and means to minimise redundancies, like the placement of affected employees elsewhere in the company.
 

Issued by UASA