Workers belonging to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) on Monday embarked on industrial action at steel and vanadium producer Evraz Highveld’s plant in eMalahleni over possible retrenchments.

The JSE-listed company warned in May that it might reduce staff numbers as part of a fixed cost reduction initiative.

“The company regrets that such action would impact its initiatives to return to profitability, but remains committed to find an amicable solution to the current circumstances,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, trade union Solidarity said its members would not be participating in the strike.

Solidarity’s metal and engineering industry head Deon Reyneke said the trade union had requested the employer to guarantee the safety of Solidarity members. “If the employer is unable to meet this request, Solidarity will withdraw its members from the workplace for safety reasons,” he added.

Numsa could not be reached for comment.