Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

The Dell Period (1983–1985)
Andy Porter, with Janice Thomas, LEFT (Bryan Thomas’s daughter-in-law),
and Natalie Kalamouducos (CENTRE), who took charge of all Saiccor’s
Industrial Relations issues in the late 1980s and 1990s
frustrating wage negotiations took place with Sam in 1986, although
Sam likes to point out there never was a strike while he negotiated
wage increases� He had an uncanny knack of quickly finding out
what the company’s final offer would be, and then spending many
hours trying to get a little more� He was a great character, a showman,
and a shrewd negotiator� Unlike most trade unionists, he frequently
asked for things the company could give him� From 1987 all the
negotiations with Sam Kikine were handled by Andy Porter, Moses
Magubane and me (Janice Thomas joined the team in 1989)� Andy
liked to say I did most of the talking while he did most of the thinking�
PPWAWU became the majority union in 1991 and no further
negotiations took place with Sam�
Andy Porter started his working life as a trainee Mine Official,
progressing to Mine Captain in the mid 1970s� He then transferred
to Mine Personnel Officer� After leaving the mining industry in the
mid 1970s, he continued his career in personnel management in the
manufacturing, insurance and transport industries� Andy joined
Saiccor on 1 February 1982 as Personnel Manager, a position he held
until he retired in March 1996� He is a man with a fine sense of
humour and an easy-going nature, with a cliché for every occasion,
like ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’ or ‘fire failures fast!’
Three significant events occurred in 1985: the start-up of the
magnesium plant, the Saiccor Review, and the currency debacle�
The construction of the magnesium plant proceeded according to
schedule and was ready for start-up in April 1985� The start-up team
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