Impala Platinum workers end Bafokeng mine underground sit-in

The National Union of Mineworkers, which represents the majority of workers at the mine, was not immediately available to comment. Impala, which took control of Royal Bafokeng Platinum in July, said in a statement the protest was based on "several misinterpretations and misunderstandings brought to the fore by the recent change in ownership at Impala Bafokeng".

More than 2,000 mineworkers who staged an underground sit-in at Impala Platinum's Bafokeng Rasimone mine in South Africa came back to the surface on Wednesday, the company said, ending a three-day impasse. The 2,205 workers embarked on the wildcat strike on Monday to demand the immediate payment of pension funds after the mine's recent change of ownership, according to union officials. They were also protesting against tax deductions on bonus payments.

"Impala Platinum is pleased to report that all the employees who were engaged in an illegal and unprotected underground protest at Impala Bafokeng, without the support of the representative union, have exited the underground workings and returned safely to surface," the miner said in a statement. The National Union of Mineworkers, which represents the majority of workers at the mine, was not immediately available to comment.

Impala, which took control of Royal Bafokeng Platinum in July, said in a statement the protest was based on "several misinterpretations and misunderstandings brought to the fore by the recent change in ownership at Impala Bafokeng". South African miners have been hit by a spate of underground sit-ins in recent months, with similar protests having been reported at Wesizwe Platinum's Bakubung operations and the privately owned Gold One Group's Modder East mine over wage and representation demands.

Impala has warned that rising cases of illegal industrial action "pose a risk to sustainable employment, particularly given the low metal price environment currently facing PGM producers". South Africa's platinum miners, including Impala and Sibanye Stillwater are in the process of cutting jobs as they battle to stay afloat in the face of weak metal prices.

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