Harmony strike confirmed
17/03/2005 22:04 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Gold mining group Harmony has confirmed that, following unsuccessful mediation at the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration between the National Union of Mineworkers and workers at its Free State operations, the NUM has served a Strike Notice on Harmony.
The original `mutual interest dispute` was brought before the CCMA in mid-December.
In a statement issued late on Thursday, Harmony said that despite the company`s willingness to resolve the demands by the union, the strike will commence with the night shift on March 23 and will affect most of its operations in the Free State, which include the original Harmony and Free Gold mines and exclude Target.
The NUM has told Harmony the strike would continue until all of its demands are met.
There are 11 issues in dispute, four of which are being discussed at a central forum in the region. The others are being addressed at branch level.
`As always when facing a strike action, we are disappointed that it has come to this,` said Harmony CEO Bernard Swanepoel. `The union has had the CCMA certificate for two months and we had hoped that we could resolve the matter.
`Obviously, that we are considering further retrenchments in the area has triggered the strike action. We will continue to negotiate in good faith and hope a resolution to this matter will be found quickly and to the benefit of all stakeholders,` Swanepoel concluded.
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