South African platinum miners end underground protest

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Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats or the Group) 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 protest action, initially involving 2,205 employees, began at the North and South shafts of the operation’s Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine on 18 December 2023.

By 14h50 today all North Shaft employees had returned to surface and by 17h05 all South Shaft employees had returned to surface, with all 2,205 employees who initially participated in the protest now safely on surface.

Impala Bafokeng management’s primary focus over the past few days was on ensuring the health, safety and security of our employees who were participating in the illegal protest. Implats is grateful the protest action concluded swiftly and without safety incidents given it occurred in the operation’s underground workings, in breach of safety regulations, and against a background of increasing incidents of a similar nature at other mining companies.

Implats is thankful for the support received during this protest action and the assistance provided in securing the safe return of our employees to surface, and reiterates its commitment to constructive and mutually respectful employee engagement. Our focus now shifts to safely completing the planned operational shutdown at Impala Bafokeng ahead of the upcoming Christmas break, instituting required disciplinary processes, and securing the sustainability of the operation amid the low metal price environment.

https://www.implats.co.za/pdf/press-releases/2023/unprotected-protest-at-impala-bafokeng-2.pdf

Did they eat for the 3 days they were underground? Where did they piss and shit? My goodness... That sounds horrible.