Photo by: Duane Daws
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – While the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) president Joesph Mathunjwa confirmed to the media on Wednesday that it had been mandated by the majority of its members to begin a protected strike at Impala Platinum's (Implats') mine, the union head would not elaborate on when this strike would begin.
Speaking at a briefing in Johannesburg, Mathunjwa said the union, which was currently involved in wage disputes with mining houses in the gold and platinum sectors, had been awarded several nonresolution certificates by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, allowing it to embark on protected strike action if 48 hours notice was given.
The process of obtaining and confirming a mandate from its members at Lonmin’s and Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats’) mines was ongoing.
The union was seeking a minimum monthly wage of R12 500 for entry-level workers at Amplats and Lonmin, described by AMCU as a "living wage", while, at Implats, the union last year reduced its demand to just over R8 500.
Mathunjwa said he would not be “coerced” by the media into providing an expected start date for the strike at Implats.
“These are internal AMCU issues,” he said.
The union head added that AMCU “continued to grow” and that its membership now stood at over 100 000.