NUM may strike over Gold Fields' assessment system

THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) today warned that a strike was looming at Gold Fields (GFI) over the way it assesses potential employees.

The trade union said it has taken a certificate of non-resolution at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which would culminate in over 45,000 workers across Gold Fields operations going on strike.

It said the dispute was over a recruitment assessment method called Functional Work Capacity, which the trade union says has proved to be a barrier to employment for new recruits and employees coming back from annual and maternity leave.

"The method has been implemented unilaterally and it has seen many people falling to get employment or re-appointed at Gold Fields," said Keneth Bhuda, NUM Mining House coordinator.

The NUM is demanding that the system be scrapped and that the old physical testing and acclimatisation method be reinstated.