Anglo American Platinum Limited (“Anglo American Platinum” or “the Company”) announces the current uptake by its employees of a number of measures that were designed to minimise the number of employees retrenched by the Company's restructuring.
Anglo American Platinum announced its proposals in January 2013 to create a sustainable, competitive and profitable platinum business for the long term benefit of all its stakeholders. The company had originally proposed that a total of up to 14,000 jobs would be affected in order to achieve those objectives, 13,000 of which would be in the Rustenburg area. It was always envisaged that the ultimate numbers of employees to be retrenched, after taking into account mitigation plans, would be significantly lower.
Subsequent to the announcement of that original proposal, Anglo American Platinum, the Department of Mineral Resources and recognised unions agreed to suspend the section 189 consultations to allow for a thorough process of engagement.
The extensive consultation process between the DMR, Anglo American Platinum led a revision of the original proposal, enabling the Company to still achieve its efficiency objectives while reducing significantly the number of mining and processing jobs affected to approximately 6,000.
This was followed by an extensive consultation process facilitated by the CCMA, which commenced on the June 10 and was completed on 15 August 2013.
As announced on 19 August 2013, approximately 900 corporate and overhead employees are also to be affected.
Anglo American Platinum, together with its stakeholders, identified a number of retrenchment avoidance measures in order to minimise the number of affected jobs. These measures include redeployment into vacancies across the group, voluntary severance packages and early retirements. An application process for employees to take advantage of the retrenchment avoidance measures has been implemented and the uptake to date is as follows:
- 1,600 redeployment into vacancies across the group
- 1,500 for voluntary severance packages and early retirement
- Approximately 500 other opportunities
The success of these measures has further reduced the number of employees that will ultimately be retrenched to approximately 3,300 and the one month notice period for all affected employees will commence on 2 September 2013.
Anglo American Platinum is actively working with its key stakeholders to co-create a Social Impact Mitigation Plan (SIMP). The SIMP proposal includes:
- temporary employment of 1,200 persons for reclamation at the affected mines over the next six to nine months,
- an approved social housing project in partnership with the Rustenburg Municipality and the government to build 4,000 houses and provide portable skills training immediately. The Company anticipates 800 job opportunities will be created from this project,
- an additional 1,000 job opportunities will be created within a year through investments in agriculture, waste recycling projects as well as supplier development interventions (enterprise development), around our operations and Labour Sending Areas.
Chris Griffith, CEO of Anglo American Platinum, said: "This is a difficult time for our employees and the Company and we have made every possible effort to minimise the impact on employees and affected communities. This comprehensive package of measures that we and our stakeholders have worked so hard to achieve will enable us to restructure Anglo American Platinum, to return the business to a sound footing and to create and sustain employment opportunities into the long term.”