According to the company’s spokesperson, Mr James Wellsted, the counting was completed on 4 April.
“The outcome of the verification exercise supports management’s position. On 18 February 2019, NUM, UASA and Solidarity collectively represented the majority of employees in the SA gold operations. The Company intends to approach the Labour Court to declare the current AMCU strike unprotected,” he said on Monday.
Commenting on the outcome, Neal Froneman, the CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater said: “The independent verification exercise will now form the basis of implementing the extension of the wage agreement in terms of Section 23(1)(d) of the Labour Relations Act, No 66 of 1995 (“S23(1)(d)”).
Our attempts to lawfully end this strike have been frustrated by ongoing legal challenges by AMCU since mid-December 2018, which has unnecessarily extended the strike, to the significant detriment of its members.
“AMCU has challenged the outcome of the verification exercise again and, once more, we urge its leadership to allow due processes to be followed in the interest of a peaceful resolution to the strike.
Irrespective of the court outcome, we will not entertain a revision to the wage agreement or any other type of settlement that undermines our other stakeholders”.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), however, called Sibanye-Stillwater’s claim “premature” and claimed that the verification process undertaken by the mining giant was “flawed”.
“The union criticises Sibanye for not allowing the dispute resolution process to be completed. It has raised significant concerns with the findings of the members’ verification process, undertaken by a provider unilaterally appointed by Sibanye,” Amcu says on its website.
