[miningmx.com] – THE views of the Associated Mineworkers & Construction Union (Amcu) had been incorporated into a Peace and Stability framework, a pact between the South African mining industry and its unions that will govern engagement between the parties, including an agreement to restrain from unprotected strike action and mine violence.
Several meetings last week were held between unions, government and industry, but an earlier iteration of the agreement excluded Amcu as it thought it wasn’t able to win a mandate from its members in time. Without Amcu, the agreement was largely toothless given the prominence of that union in recent on-mine protests.
The Peace and Stability framework includes the support of the Chamber of Mines, Samda as well as unions the National Union of Mineworkers, Amcu UASA and Numsa, as well as Solidarity.
“We have made significant progress and we appreciate the constructive engagement of stakeholders, consistent with the well-entrenched culture of collaboration that characterises the mining industry stakeholders,” said mines minister, Susan Shabangu in an announcement.
“Our work is intended to stabilize the mining industry and will position the industry along the trajectory of sustainable growth and respond to the global market conditions”, she said.
“The framework is a positive stepping stone towards addressing socio-economic challenges facing the working class, subsequent to identifying the root causes of the mining instability and violence, said Amcu secretary-general, Joseph Mathunjwa.
“This framework will be communicated to our membership at large in order to allow their inputs in shaping the peace accord’, he said.
“By committing to this framework, we believe that the foundation has been laid by which stakeholders can participate in realizing the envisaged peace and stability in the industry’, said Senzeni Zokwana of the NUM.
Signatories to the agreement have called on all workers in the sector to refrain from violence, intimidation, illegal gatherings and strikes. Officials will now work on a detailed action plan as part of the implementation of the framework, the DMR said in a statement.
