Unlawful and Unprotected Strike at KDC East continues
Johannesburg, Monday, 3 September 2012. Gold Fields Limited (Gold Fields) (JSE, NYSE, NASDAQ Dubai: GFI) regrets to announce that employees of the East Section of the KDC Gold Mine (KDC East) on the West Rand in South Africa continue to engage in an unlawful and unprotected strike.
Approximately 12,000 employees are participating in the strike which started with the night shift on August 29. To date three night shifts as well as two day shifts have been lost.
It appears that the strike is the result of an internal dispute between the local branch leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers and certain employee groupings within the NUM membership, who are demanding the resignation and replacement of local NUM branch office bearers.
The senior leadership of Gold Fields' South Africa Region as well as the KDC East mine continue to engage with stakeholders, including local, regional and national structures of the NUM, with a view to maintaining the peace and finding an urgent solution to the problem.
Nick Holland, CEO of Gold Fields, called on all stakeholders to place the safety and security of employees ahead of any partisan interests and to engage in good faith with a view to finding a peaceful solution. "The safety of our people is our first priority and we appeal to all stakeholders to continue to act with restraint," he said.