PERTH (miningweekly.com) − South Africa-focused Platinum Australia expects to achieve its planned production level of 60 000 t/m over the next two months, as mining contractor JIC Mining Services worked to employ staff at the Smokey Hills operation.

JIC Mining dismissed 85% of its workforce at the Smokey Hills mine in December, after employees engaged in an unprotected strike.

Platinum Australia said on Thursday that JIC Mining had now hired a number of workers locally, and had transferred a further 300 workers from other operations to reconstitute the workforce to previous levels.

The contractor was also looking to recruit between 100 and 150 workers from the local community over the next two months, to provide the number of employees required to achieve the planned production level, and to provide training and development positions.

Platinum Australia has previously noted that the processing plant at the Smokey Hills operation had continued to operate despite the industrial action, treating primarily stockpiled chrome tailings under the agreement with Ingonyama Platinum.

This has allowed the operation to achieve earnings of around $400 000 before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the first two months of the quarter, with the expectation of further improvements in March.

 

To subscribe to Mining Weekly's print magazine email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or buy now.