[miningmx.com] – MINERAL resources minister, Susan Shabangu, yesterday signed a peace agreement between platinum mines and unions without the involvement of Amcu.
Employers were disappointed that Amcu was not present to sign the agreement, especially since this trade union is now undoubtedly the largest in the platinum industry.
Amcu was part of the negotiations for the agreement until Wednesday evening, but then asked for a postponement to consult its principals. When the union had not returned to the negotiating table by ten o’clock yesterday morning, Shabangu and the other parties decided to sign the agreement without them.
However, less than an hour after the signing at the Department of Mineral Resources head office yesterday afternoon, Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa submitted the union’s proposed amendments to the agreement to the technical committee in charge of the process.
They can therefore no longer be incorporated into the agreement.
However, Amcu’s absence is being partially attributed to its inability to obtain mandates for agreements from its members. Less than a year ago, the union had between 20,000 and 30,000 members, mainly at coal mines, but now it probably has between 150,000 and 200,000 members.
It is impossible for the union to have structures in place to consult its members about agreements at short notice.
“But Amcu’s absence could also be a strategy to avoid agreements. As long as Amcu is not bound by any agreement, it cannot be held responsible for anything going wrong in the platinum mines,’ a role player who wished to remain anonymous said last night.
The two Chamber of Mines vice-presidents, Anglo American executive director Khanyisile Kweyama and DediCoal CEO Mike Teke, signed the agreement on behalf of the Chamber’s platinum members.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Uasa, Solidarity and Numsa signed on behalf of the employees.
There have been negotiations in the Chamber of Mines for a sustainable peace agreement since last year, but after the violence at the Amplats’ Siphumelele mine on Monday, Shabangu put pressure on the parties to finalise the peace agreement immediately. Amcu, which also withdrew from the process with the Chamber last year, was asked on Tuesday to participate again.
At lunchtime on Tuesday, Mathunjwa addressed a mass rally of striking Amplats workers and persuaded them to return to work on Wednesday. He then rushed to Pretoria for meeting with Shabangu, the Chamber and other trade unions.
One of the contentious points is the role of the workers’ committees that came into existence at Amplats and Lonmin after workers drove NUM union representatives out of their offices at these two groups and the subsequent reluctance to recognise Amcu.
The workers’ committees consist largely of Amcu members, but they are not subject to Amcu’s discipline, and Amcu therefore refuses to take responsibility for the actions of the workers’ committees.
However, Amcu cannot establish its own committees because it is not formally recognised by Amplats and Lonmin and therefore cannot elect shop stewards.
Mathunjwa said on Tuesday that Amcu’s point of view was accepted at the meeting.
Amplats CEO Chris Griffith interpreted Tuesday’s decisions exactly the other way around: “We finally agreed on Tuesday that Amcu is fully responsible for the workers’ committees,’ he said at yesterday’s signing.
