JOHANNESBURG – South African miner Impala Platinum (Implats) will start re-hiring more than 17 000 workers it fired over an illegal strike from next week, the main mineworkers union said on Sunday.

The re-hiring will end a three-week industrial relations squabble that cost the world's No2 platinum miner 3 000 oz in lost output per day at its Rustenburg mine in South Africa.

"Parties agreed to work together to ensure that all workers get back to work and the re-employment process will begin on Tuesday," the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said.

The stoppage has raised worries that Implats might not be able to achieve its target of 1.7-million ounces in its 2012 fiscal year.

The labour dispute began when 5 000 drillers downed tools on January 20 in a walkout that a court declared illegal, leading to Implats dismissing them after they failed to return to work. Other workers also failed to report for duty out of sympathy, leading to a total 17 200 workers being dismissed.

Implats was not immediately available to comment.
 

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