[miningmx] — ROYAL Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) CEO Steve Phiri has said the
company wasn’t taking any chances on security following its own labour-related
“situation” last week where rock drill operators (RDOs) made the same demands that
their peers at Lonmin have called for.
Phiri was presenting the group’s interim results to end-June at the JSE in
Johannesburg on Monday. He was asked from the floor about the status of the
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at RBPlat’s BRPM mine,
and whether the group had received any demands from the union.
An initial illegal strike on August 10 by some 3,000 rock drill operators at Lonmin’s
Marikana operations was the catalyst for a week of violence during which 42
mineworkers and two police officers were killed. The rock drill operators are mostly
members of Amcu, an upcoming rival union to the dominant National Union of
Mineworkers (NUM). Lonmin’s RDOs have reportedly demanded their monthly salary
to be increased from R4,000 to R12,500.
“There is an intention or request by Amcu to organise at our mine,’ Phiri said.
“Those signs have not turned into something violent or aggressive, but we do
recognise that things may turn ugly in a copy cat kind of event.’
Phiri said the company’s RDOs last week made similar salary demands to what had
been the case at Lonmin. “That situation was quelled,’ Phiri said. “We’re not saying
it disappeared, it may come up again, but fortunately our trade unions are
addressing those issues together with management.’
Phiri said the company nonetheless remained on high alert and has consulted with
the South African Police Service to heighten security at the mine. “We are not
immune to the events that have been happening at Impala … [and] Lonmin and we
are not complacent just because it has not happened yet at our mine.
“We are in a state of emergency,’ he said. “If we need to err on the side of caution
we will do so. We don’t want people to die with their blood on our hands.’
LONMIN
Meanwhile, Lonmin has extended an ultimatum for workers to return for duty on
Monday by 24 hours. The company said almost a third of its 28,000-strong work
force reported for their shifts on Monday. Both NUM and Solidarity said they
supported the mine’s call for workers to return.
Amcu’s Jimmy Gama, the union’s treasurer, however said the ultimatum should be
extended until traumatised workers have been offered counselling following the
events of the past week.
He also dismissed the notion that the union was behind any of the violence
perpetuated last week. “We have suffered a lot and we don’t want to kill,’ he said.
“We want our members to deal with issues in a peaceful way.’
