BHP Billiton To Cut 150 Jobs At Hotazel Manganese - Union
June 15 2009 - 9:14AM
Dow Jones News
BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) plans to lay off 150 of the 950
employees at its Hotazel Manganese Mines in South Africa due to a
drop in demand for the ingredient in steel production, a trade
union said Monday.
Solidarity in an e-mailed statement said the process of cutting
jobs has been launched with the independent Commission for
Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, or CCMA.
"There are several alternatives that should be considered first
and therefore the retrenchment of the 150 employees should be
considered as a last resort," union spokesman Jaco Kleynhans said,
adding Solidarity hoped the consultation process with CCMA would be
used to limit the number of job cuts.
Hotazel operates the Wessels and Mamatwan mines outside Hotazel
in the Northern Cape province.
"The pressure on the communities of the Northern Cape is now
reaching alarming levels," Kleynhans said. "The region's mines,
including diamond and manganese, in particular are being affected
by the economic climate."
-By Robb M. Stewart, Dow Jones Newswires; +27 11 783 7848;
robb.stewart@dowjones.com