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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Labour union the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) says it will march to the corporate offices of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), in Johannesburg, on Tuesday to hand over a list of grievances to CEO Chris Griffith.
“We expect between 6 000 and 10 000 of our members to join the march, which will start at around 10:00,” union spokesperson Jimmy Gama told Mining Weekly Online.
This would follow a march by thousands of AMCU members to the Union Buildings earlier this month, where they handed over a ‘memorandum of protest’.
AMCU accused the State and Minerals Minister Susan Shabangu of colluding with the three major platinum producers Amplats, Impala Platinum and Lonmin, at which the union had waged a two-month strike in a bid to drive up the entry-level wage for mineworkers to R12 500.
According to a tally updated almost every second on the Chamber of Mines' website, the strike had thus far cost mining companies over R8.8-billion in lost revenue.
Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration- mediated talks between the union and the platinum producers continue.
Amplats was not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, as AMCU prepared to take to the streets, the Labour Court on Monday postponed the court return date on an interim order preventing the union from striking in the gold sector.
Mining Weekly Online reported that the court had initially issued a ruling on January 30, declaring the strike called by AMCU at gold producers AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony and Sibanye Gold unprotected on an interim basis, as it was not compatible with the requirements of the Labour Relations Act.
The order interdicted the union from proceeding with the strike or encouraging its members to embark on the strike.
On Friday, the Chamber of Mines, acting on behalf of the gold producers, and AMCU, returned to court, where both parties requested a postponement and, subsequently, the return date was set for June 5.
The court order, declaring the strike unprotected, remained in place.