EWN reports that Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) leader Joseph Mathunjwa has confirmed that they are in unity talks with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

AMCU is a breakaway from the NUM and was formed when Mathunjwa was axed from the Cosatu affiliate. The two organisations have been rivals for prominence in SA’s mines since the registration of Amcu in 2001. Addressing workers at Tuesday’s tenth commemoration of the Marikana Massacre, Mathunjwa indicated that the time had come for the two organisations to bury the hatchet in the interest of workers’ rights and protection. Saying that change was on the horizon for workers as the NUM and Amcu were engaged in constructive talks with unity in mind, Mathunjwa stated: "As NUM, we are saying to them: 'Comrades, if there is any commonality to fight with the enemy, which is the white monopoly capital, we won't lose anything except the chains of oppression.'" Last week, NUM general secretary William Mabapa commented that the future of trade unions in the country was dependent on their ability to band together.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Theto Mahlakoana at EWN

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