[miningmx] — THE Chamber of Mines (CoM) will meet trade union Amcu for the first
time on Wednesday to ease some of the tensions following last week’s violence at
Marikana mine, where 44 people have died.
Following extended talks between the Chamber, two Cabinet members and three
recognised trade unions in the mining industry on Saturday, CoM Deputy President
and Optimum Coal CEO Mike Teke were tasked to meet Amcu.
“We are meeting tomorrow [Wednesday] afternoon at 15:00. We expect the meeting
to last about two hours,’ Teke said on Tuesday.
During a debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Mineral Resources Minister
Susan Shabangu faced serious criticism for the government’s delay in pushing for
talks with Amcu. The usually calm Shabangu said she had only recently become
aware of the existence of the union, but she was so vehemently heckled that at one
point she yelled at opposition MPs to “shut up’.
DA mining spokesman James Lorimer said the fact that Shabangu claimed she was
not aware of Amcu proves that “the ANC leadership did not want to meet Amcu
because of its [the ANC’s] alliance with Cosatu’.
STRIKE SPREADS
Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday that some
of their colleagues at Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlats) have stayed away from
work since Tuesday night.
NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka told Miningmx that the union’s members
have reported a lower turnout of rock drill operators at RBPlats’ BRPM mine, saying
one shaft was closed.
RBPlat wasn’t immediately available to comment, while Amcu President Joseph
Mathunjwa reportedly said the union wasn’t behind the stay-away at BRPM. CEO
Steve Phiri said on Monday the group did receive demands for salary increases from
rock drill operators last week.
“That situation was quelled,’ Phiri said at the time. “We’re not saying it disappeared,
it may come up again, but fortunately our trade unions are addressing those issues
together with management.’
Anglo American Platinum have received similar demands from a group of workers,
according to spokesperson Mpumi Sithole. She said the company received a
memorandum with a list of demands last week Friday in which management have
been given a week to respond.
