South African Union Given Go-Ahead for National Mining Strike
By Amy Musgrave
28 Nov 2007 at 10:50 AM GMT-05:00
resourceinvestor.com
JOHANNESBURG (Business Day) -- The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) gave the go-ahead yesterday for a massive strike by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) over mine safety.
The strike, by about 240,000 members of NUM, will affect more than 60 mining companies, including the biggest platinum and gold mines.
"The strike will be the first industry-wide strike to hit the mining industry since mining began.... Trade unions globally are sending protest and memorandums to various South African embassies to push them to act on the genocide that is unfolding in the mining industry," NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said yesterday.
In Johannesburg alone 15,000 to 20,000 people were expected to participate in a protest march.
Safety and security on South Africa's mines have come under severe criticism, with President Thabo Mbeki ordering a security audit into all mines after more than 3,200 miners were trapped underground at Elandsrand gold mine, west of Johannesburg.
The NUM has been threatening to down tools for a while, but the final impetus for the action came after four miners died in accidents on three days last week.
The NUM and mining companies represented by the Chamber of Mines met at the CCMA yesterday and the parties agreed on ways to improve mine safety.
Chamber of Mines spokesman Jabu Maphalala said the parties had committed themselves to engage early next year at senior level to strengthen and complement initiatives agreed upon by the Mine Health and Safety Council.
Chamber senior executive Frans Barker said: "Health and safety is a matter that requires all role players, including the government, employers and employees, to take joint responsibility. In terms of this agreement, parties will work together to improve safety on mines."
Maphalala said the minerals and energy department would also be approached to participate at a senior level in the meetings planned for early next year.
According to the agreement, the meetings would attempt to find ways to better utilise and empower health and safety representatives, as well as analyse all research material from the safety in mining research advisory committee that has not yet been looked at.
There would be regular stakeholder meetings at executive level to report and discuss health and safety matters, with a proposal that Energy and Minerals Minister Buyelwa Sonjica should chair the meetings.
Companies that will be affected by the strike include AngloGold Ashanti [NYSE:AU], Gold Fields [NYSE:GFI], Harmony Gold [NYSE:HMY], Anglo Platinum [JSE:AMS], Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP], Lonmin [LSE:LMI], Anglo Operations [Nasdaq:AAUK; LSE:AAL], Delmas Colliery, Exxaro Resources [JSE:EXX], Ingwe Collieries, Kangra Group, Sasol Mining [NYSE:SSL], Twee Waters Fuel, Umcebo Mining and Xstrata [LSE:XTA]. |
