image
.
Close
About us
Read more
Products, services & development
Read more
Sustainability
Read more
Investors
Read more
Careers
Read more
Origins
Read more
Suppliers
Read more
skip to main content

Anglo American Platinum update

05 October, 2012

Anglo American Platinum Limited (“Anglo American Platinum”) is providing an update on the ongoing illegal industrial action around its Rustenburg mining operations. It has been three weeks since the initial safety suspension and the subsequent industrial action by employees in the Rustenburg area.

Despite the company’s repeated calls for employees to return to work, we have continued to experience attendance levels of less than 20%. Currently four of the company’s mining operations in the Rustenburg area have insufficient staff to operate and only essential services are being carried out at those mines.

Our Rustenburg concentrators, smelters and refineries and Bathopele Mine continue to operate normally.

Disciplinary hearings for striking Rustenburg mine employees have been completed and affected employees will be informed of the outcome of the hearings today. Those employees will have three working days to appeal the outcome. Approximately 12,000 striking employees chose not to make representations, nor attend the hearings, and have therefore been dismissed in their absence.

Anglo American Platinum also confirms that the company has begun to experience strike contagion at its Union and Amandelbult (Tumela and Dishaba) operations, where workers have presented memorandums of demands similar to those received in Rustenburg.

The Union and Amandelbult Mines, including Mortimer Smelter, are not in operation due to insufficient attendance.

Anglo American Platinum confirms that as a result of the illegal industrial action of its employees and the initial safety suspension, total lost platinum production has amounted to 39,000 ounces, resulting in approximately R700 million of lost revenue.

Chris Griffith, Anglo American Platinum CEO, says: “The Company is committed to participating in the Platinum centralised engagement structures driven by the Chamber of Mines, as well as exploring the possibility of bringing forward wage negotiations within our current agreements.”

Anglo American Platinum continues to work with the local authorities and other stakeholders to support the restoration of law and order to the affected areas.”

Further updates will be provided when appropriate.

For further information, please contact:

Media Investors
Mpumi Sithole
Tel: +27 (0)14 591 3741
[email protected]
Kgapu Mphahlele 
+27 (0) 11 373 6239 
[email protected]

Notes to editors:

Anglo American Platinum Limited is a member of the Anglo American plc Group and is the world’s leading primary producer of platinum group metals. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). Its mining, smelting and refining operations are based in South Africa. Elsewhere in the world, the Group owns Unki Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe and is actively exploring in Brazil. Anglo American Platinum has a number of joint ventures with several historically disadvantaged South African consortia as part of its commitment to the transformation of the mining industry. Anglo American Platinum is committed to the highest standards of safety and continues to make meaningful and sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations.

www.angloamericanplatinum.com

Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies, is headquartered in the UK and listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges. Anglo American’s portfolio of mining businesses spans bulk commodities – iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals – copper and nickel; and precious metals and minerals – in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. Anglo American is committed to the highest standards of safety and responsibility across all its businesses and geographies and to making a sustainable difference in the development of the communities around its operations. The company’s mining operations, extensive pipeline of growth projects and exploration activities span Southern Africa, South America, Australia, North America, Asia and Europe.

www.angloamerican.com