Published: September 20, 2024 | Share This

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Union leadership met with Sibanye Stillwater mine workers on Thursday night, in anticipation of 700 layoffs announced by the company, last week.

The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 11-0001 held its regular meeting and one of the big items on the agenda was layoffs.

It will be handled by seniority in 22 job classifications at the Stillwater Mine in Nye and 17 at the East Boulder Mine.

If a worker does not have seniority in a current job, that person may be able to carry that seniority to another job category that he or she worked before, according to the USW executive board.

It’s expected for miner jobs at the Nye facility, those with about 15 years of experience will be able to keep their jobs.

From now until November, the union says it’s going to work with the company to try to keep as many jobs as possible.

Of the 232 working as miners at the Stillwater Mine in Nye, 82 will stay on the job.

“I’m number seven on the miner list, so I’m safe. I feel for my son and everybody below 82 you know, or anybody not on the list, no matter the department,” said Ralee Rogers.

Rogers has been at the mine for 29 years, but he has empathy for the other 140 miners who will lose their jobs on November 12.

“It’s the guys down in the hole, breaking the rock that are paying the bills. I’m a development miner. I don’t even pay the bills,” said Rogers.

Others remain concerned that they will not be part of that 82.

“Kind of right on the edge,” said Bryan Bartholomew, who has been on the job 14 years. “I don’t know if I’m going to make it or not.”

The union and the company say about 565 hourly workers will lose their jobs along with 135 salaried employees, not represented by the union, who will be out of work.

About 26 percent of the salaried workers will be laid off, according to Heather McDowell, Sibanye Stillwater VP Legal and External Affairs, Americas.

And about 46 percent of hourly workers will lose their jobs.

“Essentially, these are minimum manpower numbers. So for the next however many days, 54 days, we’re going to be here trying to get as many jobs as humanly possible back onto these lists,” said Dan Baluscek, USW Local 11-0001 president.

The union currently represents 1,230 hourly workers.

Source: KTVQ

Sibanye-Stillwater is a multinational mining and metals processing group with a diverse portfolio of operations, projects and investments across five continents. The group is also one of the foremost global recyclers of PGM autocatalysts and has interests in leading mine tailings retreatment operations. Sibanye-Stillwater has established itself as one of the world’s largest primary producers of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, and is a top tier gold producer. It also produces and refines iridium and ruthenium, nickel, chrome, copper, and cobalt. The group has recently begun to build and diversify its asset portfolio into battery metals mining and processing and is increasing its presence in the circular economy by growing and diversifying its recycling and tailings reprocessing operations globally.

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