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Mail & Guardian writes that the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) is at loggerheads with other trade unions about its protracted wage strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines.
In July last year, Amcu, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and the United Association of SA (Uasa) began annual wage negotiations, resulting in all the unions except Amcu accepting a R700-a-month increase in the first and second years of a three-year deal and R825 in the third year for the lowest categories of employees. But Amcu is adamantly insisting on a R1,000 wage hike. It has been striking since November and has been accused of violence and intimidation, which it denies. Sibanye indicated that, since the strike began, seven people have died. Its position is that the NUM, Uasa and Solidarity together make up the majority, thereby allowing it to extend the wage deal to Amcu. “Amcu has the right to go on strike, but our concern is that they are doing that [while] intimidating our members,” said NUM spokesperson Luphert Chilwane. Central to the dispute between Amcu and Sibanye are efforts to verify union membership numbers, which will determine the extent of Amcu’s muscle at the gold mine. Uasa’s Nico van Rooyen said membership of the three unions had increased to 68% since November, and Amcu “does not have the basis they believed they had”. This was “a clear indication that employees [have] voted in favour of the traditional unions”, he said. Solidarity’s Riaan Visser said they believed that the three unions made up a majority.
- Read the original of Tshegofatso Mathe’s report in the above regard in full at Mail & Guardian
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page