JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Trade union Solidarity has hit back at platinum miner Lonmin for “rewarding unrest and penalising responsibility” with the threat of a strike.

The ousted union said on Monday that it had started obtaining a mandate from its members regarding the possibility of a strike at London-listed Lonmin’s operations in a bid to have its recognition restored.

Last week, Lonmin formally recognised the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) as its majority union, with full wage negotiation control on behalf of all Lonmin mineworkers – including those who are members of opposing unions.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Uasa and Solidarity were given 90 days to secure at least a 51% membership or be derecognised.

Solidarity had already engaged in talks with other trade unions, including the NUM, regarding possible joint labour action, general secretary Gideon du Plessis said on Monday.

The new recognition agreement signed between AMCU and Lonmin, counterintuitively, required trade unions to strike disruptively if they want to get recognition, Du Plessis said, citing a “bizarre clause” stipulating that a trade union could reclaim suspended recognition if its members participated in a disruptive strike.

Lonmin could not immediately be reached for comment.

The “devastating consequences” of a strike, however, make it a last resort option for Solidarity, as this could result in about R60-million a day in production losses.

“The irony is that AMCU members will lose about R18-million in bonuses if Solidarity and the other trade unions’ members strike for just one day,” he added.

The union has declared a dispute, challenging the recognition agreement at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.

“Solidarity’s members are the skilled employees who kept the mine going in the past during the unrest fuelled by AMCU. Lonmin will not be able to rely on the Solidarity members’ skills in the case of another strike,” Du Plessis warned.