[miningmx] — MEETINGS between the Chamber of Mines, Labour Minister Nelisiwe Oliphant and Amcu could lead to the signing of a peace agreement that would put a stop to the growing labour unrest at the country’s vulnerable platinum mines.
The North shaft of Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlats), where about 2,500 people work, was forced to a halt on Wednesday when about a quarter of the workers – mostly rock-drill operators – came out on strike.
Similar unrest could be expected at Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) on Friday, because rock-drill operators at this group’s Thembalani shaft, which is regarded as marginal, also handed a protest note with wage demands of R12,500 per month to the management on Friday.
The workers set a deadline of Friday for the management to respond to their demands. The demands were handed over to the management without any involvement of NUM, the recognised trade union at Amplats.
Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa was astounded when told about this protest note.
“We don’t have a single paid-up member at Amplats. We recruit everywhere, but have no paid-up members there. If there is a strike, we will probably be blamed for that too,’ he said.
However, he couldn’t say whether there were perhaps workers of these two companies who had joined the trade union recently and sent in their application forms, but these forms hadn’t been received by the trade union yet.
He was upset that Amcu hadn’t been asked to join the task team that Oliphant and Minerals Resources Minister had appointed, consisting of the Chamber and other trade unions in the industry to try to end the violence at Lonmin.
“We are the second-biggest trade union at Lonmin,’ he said.
Chamber deputy president Mike Teke said he had had a positive meeting with Amcu general secretary Jeff Mphahlele on Wednesday afternoon – the first formal contact between this trade union and the Chamber.
The meeting is symbolically important, but the Chamber can’t recognise Amcu as a negotiation partner yet, because the verification of its membership numbers at Impala Platinum and Lonmin hasn’t been completed.
The verification process at both groups is being delayed out because of squabbling between Amcu and NUM over trivialities.
“We have to wait for the membership figures to be verified, but in the mean time we will try to get the peace process going,’ Teke said. “It is a very serious process – people have been killed, and we can’t delay this. I’m on my way home and will be with my child in a little while – there are other children who will never see their fathers again,’ Teke said.
