by Our Foreign Desk

SOUTH AFRICA’S National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was “shocked” yesterday after platinum producer Lonmin announced plans to cut 6,000 jobs.

Lonmin, formerly Lonhro, said yesterday that falling prices and high costs had led to its decision to sack 6,000 workers.

The firm employs 28,000 staff and 9,000 contractors in South Africa, which is the source of 70 per cent of the world’s platinum.

The NUM called the planned redundancies a “bloodbath” and a “tragedy” for miners which would add to unemployment in the country, and vowed to fight them.

NUM chief negotiator at Lonmin Erick Gcilitshana said: “The NUM has been informed by Lonmin of its intention to retrench 6,000 workers.

“We hope that these job losses can be avoided and as the NUM we will do our best to engage the company to save jobs.”

The union said it was “not surprised” that Lonmin was using platinum prices —in general decline since 2011 — as an excuse for retrenchments.

The job cuts raise the spectre of renewed strife in the platinum sector still recovering from a violent strike at Lonmin’s Marikana mine in 2012.

NUM split AMCU led the wildcat strike over pay, allowing bosses to sack workers legally.

AMCU members and supporters murdered 10 people, including NUM shop stewards, while 34 of them were killed after attacking police with machetes at a hilltop rally.

The Farlam Commission report into the tragedy said Lonmin had contributed to the violence by insisting that NUM members come to work during the strike.