JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Shanduka Coal has dismissed the 250 workers that embarked on an illegal and somewhat violent two-day strike at the Graspan colliery, in Mpumalanga, last week.
The workers at the Middelburg-based mine downed tools on March 18 demanding performance bonuses and had to be forcibly removed from mine property by the police after groups of strikers seized equipment.
“The situation at Graspan Colliery is currently calm and returning to normal. The illegal strike action was isolated … all other operations have been operating normally,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
The performance bonuses were not paid owing to the workers not achieving the required production targets for February 2013.
Shanduka aimed to recruit new employees from surrounding communities; however, the employees dismissed for participating in the unprotected industrial action and subsequent acts of violence would be given an opportunity to appeal their dismissals.
The company further commented that it “reserves its rights and may consider taking action against those parties responsible for endangering the safety of employees, causing damage to property and production losses”.