Protest continues at Implats' BRPM, with more than 2 000 emplyees still underground
File photo: Personnel of the Bafokeng Rasimone platinum mine stand at infrastructure of the mine
An illegal underground protest at platinum group metals major Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) Bafokeng Rasimone platinum mine (BRPM) has continued for a second day, Implats corporate relations group executive Johan Theron informs Mining Weekly
The protest action started on the morning of December 18.
The North and South shafts of the mine were impacted, while mining operations have been suspended.
As at 19:00 on December 19, 167 employees had safely returned to surface but about 2 038 employees were still underground.
Implats is engaging with labour union the National Union of Mineworkers’ leadership about the matter.
Implats has ascertained that “at the heart of the matter is an expectation created by some that their pension fund savings can be paid out, [as well as] some concerns pertaining to a historical profit share arrangement that they can, at their election, convert into a share ownership scheme similar to what Implats’ employees have at other operations,” Theron says.
He adds that it is still uncertain if any acts of violence or intimidation have occurred underground, but that it is “hard to imagine 2 000 people willingly putting their health and wellbeing at risk in this way”, especially considering that there are “established engagement processes and a management team with open doors willing to engage to create a better future”.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation