CAPE TOWN: Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) is to retrench 474 workers as part of a restructuring plan. The company first made this restructuring plan public in 2013, causing waves in political and union circles, and sparking fighting words from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The largest platinum producer said on Wednesday that it had found permanent places for 774 of the 1,248 employees who had been identified for retrenchment.
In the build-up to 2013, Amplats had already cut nearly 19,000 jobs almost a quarter of its workforce then since 2008 and mothballed three shafts. Following months of intense negotiations, it was agreed that the number of affected employees would be lowered to 3,300.
Also, about 4,700 people took severance packages and 2,600 vacancies across Amplats were filled. In addition, 1,600 contractors were replaced by employees and some workers took early retirement. But Amcu rejected retrenchments and launched a two-week strike, which ended when a deal was reached that 1,248 of the 3,300 employees earmarked for layoffs would remain with the company.
