Labour unrest: SA Coal Holdings loses 30,000 tons of coal

According to BDlive, mineworkers represented by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at South African Coal Holdings's Umlabu colliery in Mpumalanga went on a protected strike following a wage dispute.

This makes the company the third coal miner, after Coal of Africa (CoAL) and Petmin, to have its operations disrupted by the wave of labour unrest that has swept South Africa's mining industry.

The Umlabu strike is protected, as the NUM obtained certification from the Third Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, allowing the 56 people employed at the mine to down tools. SA Coal Mining's chief financial officer David Miller said the production of about 30,000 tons of coal was lost as a result of the strike. He added that management intends to engage with the union to find a resolution when both parties meet on Friday.

Meanwhile, an unprotected strike at CoAL's Mooiplats colliery is in its fourth week, while labour unrest at Petmin's Somkhele mining in KwaZulu-Natal had come to an end after Petmin reached an agreement with 350 contract employees on strike.

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