Union Rivalry at Rustenburg

 
TIDMIPLA 
 
Impala Platinum Holdings Limited 
 
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa) 
 
(Registration No. 1957/001979/06) 
 
ISIN: ZAE000083648 
 
JSE Share Code: IMP 
 
LSE Share Code: IPLA 
 
ADR Code: IMPUY 
 
("Implats") 
 
UNION RIVALRY AT IMPALA RUSTENBURG 
 
Implats reported last week that during a clash between members of the National 
Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction 
Union (AMCU) a company employee was shot and wounded. Following this incident 
and violence earlier in the year, the SA Police Services have arrested two 
alleged perpetrators. This action has resulted in the majority of the mining 
workforce embarking on an unprotected work stoppage in support of their 
colleagues and a refusal to return to work until they have been released. The 
striking workers are preventing employees who wish to work from doing so. 
 
We believe that this unprotected work stoppage is not related to company issues 
and is as a result of continued union rivalry. The safety of our employees 
remains our first priority and we have been liaising with the SA Police 
Services in this regard. We condemn the use of violence and intimidation in the 
strongest possible terms and have called on all the parties to do the same. 
 
Management has been in contact with AMCU and the self-appointed "worker 
leaders" to explain our position and secure a return to work. During the past 
few months, we have also attempted to bring the rival unions and "worker 
leaders" into an agreed interim worker representative structure, but the unions 
have refused to co-operate. 
 
We have called on our employees to return to work and have appealed to all 
parties to allow employees to freely exercise their democratic right to join 
their preferred union; and for the unions to allow the law to take its course. 
We have communicated to our workers that this is an illegal work stoppage and 
as a result, we will enforce the "no work no pay? 
 
principle and take strong disciplinary action against employees who have been 
involved in acts of intimidation and violence. We remain confident that we will 
secure a return to work soon and are applying for a court interdict. 
 
Implats will lose approximately 3,000 platinum ounces per day during the work 
stoppage, which, if protracted will impact our near term profitability as well 
as the number of jobs we can sustain in the future. 
 
23 May 2012 
 
Johannesburg 
 
Sponsor 
 
Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited 
 
 
 
END