[miningmx.com] – THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has claimed that employees on strike at the shafts of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) are being intimidated by people who are not employed the company.
Speaking to BDLive, NUM spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka, said: “”The little-known fact about the strike is that non-employees could very well be involved”.
“The continuing intimidation at Amplats tells us the strike is no longer about wages.. It shows that those who are not employed at the mine are preventing mineworkers from returning to work,” he said.
Amplats yesterday extended an increased wage offer to Wednesday to allow for meetings between Cosatu and the strike committee representing the 12,000-strong strike, now into its eighth week.
Amplats has been losing about 3,600oz of platinum a day during the nine-week strike at Rustenburg Amandelbult and Union operations, BDLive said.
However, Gaddafi Mdoda, a member of the strike committee, denied there had been any intimidation by non-employees.
“We have tried to hold a meeting this morning (Monday) with the comrades about there being no intimidation, and they responded positively,” Mdoda said.
Amplats’ new offer consists of a one-off allowance of R4,500 to be paid to each qualifying employee, comprising a R2,000 loyalty or hardship allowance and a R2,500 safe start-up allowance which will be paid two weeks after the employees have returned to the mines and have re started actual work.
