The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has declared a dispute with Evander Gold Mine, a subsidiary of Pan African Resources, saying the company refused to implement both the voluntary separation package (VSP) and retrenchment agreement. “During our engagements with the company, the number of affected employees was reduced from 976 to 650. With regards to a VSP agreement, there are 656 employees who have applied for VSP but the employer has only approved 154 and denied the rest. The employer’s reasons are not justifiable,” the NUM said in a statement. The retrenchment of some 30% of the mine’s employees is aimed at reducing the underground operation’s fixed cost base. Further, the NUM said Evander is refusing to apply avoidance measures as per the retrenchment agreement.
