Amplats to retrench 3‚300

The company had originally proposed that a total of up to 14‚000 jobs would be affected in order to achieve these objectives‚ 13‚000 of which would be in the Rustenburg area.

The company said last week that‚ following a consultation process between the Department of Mineral Resources and unions at Amplats‚ it was able to reduce the number of mining and processing jobs affected to about 6‚000.

Of this number‚ 3‚300 staff will be retrenched and will receive their one-month notices on Monday‚ (2 September).

"It was always envisaged that the ultimate numbers of employees to be retrenched‚ after taking into account mitigation plans‚ would be significantly lower‚" the company said.

"The industry is in trouble‚" Amplats's chief executive Chris Griffith said in a teleconference briefing to the media. "We need to restructure the company now."

Griffith said the measures‚ along with other cost-saving initiatives‚ will bring the company annual cost savings of roughly R3.2bn.

Of the 3‚300 staff who will be retrenched‚ 900 will be in head office; 1‚200 people will be temporarily re-employed for reclamation at the affected mines over the next six to nine months and another 800 jobs will be created to build a social housing project in partnership with the Rustenburg municipality.

It said a further 1‚000 jobs would be created within a year through investments in agriculture‚ waste recycling projects as well as supplier development interventions.

"Of the balance of employees affected‚ 1‚500 had applied for voluntary severance packages and early retirement‚ while 1‚600 would be redeployed in vacancies across the group‚" Griffith said.

"It has been a constructive process but it has been robust‚" he said.

"This is about the best outcome possible in order to make the company profitable. What is not talked about is how we need to make this company profitable so we can protect 40‚000 jobs. "If this company runs into the ground it will be 40‚000 people who will lose their jobs‚ not 3‚000," he added.