JOHANNESBURG - Trade union federation COSATU has thrown its weight behind its affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), in opposing De Beers' plans to cut more than 1,200 jobs at its Venetia Mine in Limpopo.
The mining giant recently announced it would suspend production at South Africa's largest diamond mine for two years, citing weak global demand for diamonds.
The decision is expected to result in the retrenchment of 1,134 permanent employees at Venetia Mine, as well as a further 80 workers at De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa.
The NUM has vowed to resist the planned job cuts, describing them as devastating for workers and their families.
Both the union and COSATU argue that retrenchments should only be considered as a last resort and insist that employees should not be made to shoulder the burden of challenges facing the diamond industry.
The union says it will seek government intervention, engaging with the Departments of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Trade, Industry and Competition, and Electricity and Energy in an effort to find alternatives to job losses.
NUM National Office Bearer Masibulele Naki says government departments must play a more active role in protecting jobs during difficult economic periods.