JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Trade union Solidarity on Friday vowed to do all it can to prevent the embattled Barbrook mine, in Mpumalanga, from following in the footsteps of its sister mine as it heads into business rescue.
However, the union was hesitantly cautious on the commitments made by the business rescue practitioner, after the nonmaterialisation of similar promises made when the Lily mine entered the process last year, Solidarity mining deputy general secretary Connie Prinsloo said in a statement on Friday.
The Barbrook mine is the second mine owned by troubled Vantage Goldfields to head for business rescue following a structural collapse at the nearby Lily mine, which claimed the lives of three surface workers a year ago.
Solidarity this week met with Barbrook’s business rescue practitioner, but was not convinced of the plans for the mine set out by the practitioner.
“The business rescue practitioner is of the opinion that an investor for Barbrook will soon be found. He also indicated that a turnaround strategy for the mine will be included in the business rescue plan, which would, among other things, outline how production could be increased at Barbrook,” Prinsloo said.
Solidarity has requested more clarity on procedures to be followed as part of the business rescue process at Barbrook, which was not done in the case of the Lily mine.