The Regional Secretary of NUM in Matlosana, Masibulele Naki, tells OFM News the move is to force the employer to comply with certain clauses of the retrenchment Act. 

He says currently the process of consultation under the section is in progress, but the union is participating under protest because it is unable to consult with workers who are not currenlty allowed back to work. 

He further says the act by the employer infringes on the rights to engage their leadership and unions. Naki says the employer has failed to listen to workers demands. VMR is yet to comment.

Workers of Tau Lekoa mine have been protesting against the non-payment of their salaries, planned massive retrenchments and the eviction from the hostels by VMR. The employer earlier indicated that before the national lockdown, the Tau Lekoa mine had been running at significant losses in recent years. 

The mining company said that the mine made an accumulated cash loss of R1.28 billion from 2015 to 2019, and a further loss of R107 million for the first three months of 2020. It added that these losses, without a restructuring of the workforces supporting these mining operations, are unsustainable.

Meanwhile, while weighing in on the torching of the private security vehicles during a protest by mine workers, Naki says: "we can't say it is workers because that is not proven it might happen that burning is done outside the worker's protest (sic)".

OFM News