As tensions between the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) continue to simmer at the Modder East Gold One mine, NUM says it has decided to terminate the closed-shop agreement at the Ekurhuleni mine.
This week, mine workers said to be members of Amcu have been protesting outside the mine in an attempt to put pressure on the mine to sever its ties with NUM and Amcu organising rights instead.
Under a decade-long agreement with the mine, the NUM has exclusive rights to represent workers.
However, on Tuesday, the union said it had made “a responsible decision” to safeguard lives of workers.
“There is a legitimate concern that if the violent acts continue, some of our members or innocent workers are going to get killed,” NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburuu said.
Mammburuu revealed that the decision to take a step back was prompted by recent events, including death threats and the torching of a worker’s car.
“On Sunday night, the car belonging to a former NUM shop steward, comrade Prince Radebe, was burnt. There were three other occupants in the car who escaped and ran for their lives. Members who are not in support of the protest are intimidated and threatened on a daily basis,” he said.
“During the hostage situation two weeks ago, nine NUM members were assaulted underground and one member ended up in ICU. The NUM as a responsible union has taken a decision to de-escalate the current violent situation. It is evident that the protesters are not willing to follow any legal process and are continuing with the criminal acts to exert pressure on the company.”
Amcu members were reported to have filed an urgent court application in a bid to get the mine to recognise it as a labour union, with workers encouraged to sign a petition granting Amcu the right to represent them.
The NUM is opposing the application. The union said “the petition that they are using as a base for their application is highly questionable and remains to be verified”.
It wants the petition to be verified by the CCMA.
The DA has called for an urgent resolution to the tensions at the mine to prevent more violence
“The complete absence of the state in this sustained breakdown in law and order over a union dispute shows how dangerously incapacitated the state has itself become. I urge all parties involved to prioritise dialogue and find a swift resolution to the ongoing labour dispute. The DA condemns any form of violence or intimidation and calls for law enforcement to hold perpetrators of violence to account,” DA MP Ashor Sarupen said.
The Star