AMCU Votes for Lonmin Strike

[LazyLion]

A strike over union recognition is looming at Lonmin's platinum mines in Marikana, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said on Thursday.

Members voted in favour of a strike on Wednesday, national treasurer Jimmy Gama said.

"We wrote a letter requesting a meeting in a bid to avoid a strike. We requested to meet the company on Monday. If we do not have an agreement by Tuesday, we will serve the company with a 48-hour notice to go on strike."

He said the union and the company did not reach an agreement at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA).

"We referred the matter to the CCMA. The matter was not resolved and the company applied for arbitration. The company has no right to apply for abitration... it is us who referred the matter to the CCMA," he said.

Lonmin said it would comment later.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) called for peace and stability at the Marikana mines.

"The killing of workers should come to an end. We call on mineworkers to stand united against the enemy... exploiting [the] mining class, as opposed to mercilessly butchering each other," said spokesman Castro Ngobese.

A National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) shop steward was shot dead and another critically wounded in Wonderkop on Monday.

On May 11, Amcu regional leader Mawethu Steven was shot dead at a tavern in Photsaneng, and on the same day twin brothers Ayanda and Andile Menzi were killed at a shack in Nkaneng, Wonderkop.

Forty-four people were killed during a unrest at Lonmin in August last year.

Police shot dead 34 striking mineworkers on August 16. Ten people, including two police officers and security guards, were killed in the preceding week.


Source : Sapa /mm/hdw/th/jk
Date : 06 Jun 2013 14:15

 

[marine1]

Fire them or close the mine then let's see what happens

 

[ToxicBunny]

Fire the lot of them ffs....

 

[Cool E]

Bad to our struggling economy.

 

[marine1]

I hope the world is watching.
Anyone who supports these thugs needs their heads checked

 

[2026]

Don't get how the unions can all a strike because of murders? It doesn't really related to working conditions.

 

[Maverick Jester]

Such arbitrarily idiotic factors, necessitate a strike? They need to ban all forms of striking, our economy does not need this schit...

 

[Cool E]

Don't get how the unions can all a strike because of murders? It doesn't really related to working conditions.

it seems its a militant union. Is it possible to send Soldiers to stabilize the mining industry?

The rand is not doing well now and job employment at risks.

 

[GoofySmurf]

A strike over union recognition is looming at Lonmin's platinum mines in Marikana, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said on Thursday.

Members voted in favour of a strike on Wednesday, national treasurer Jimmy Gama said.

"We wrote a letter requesting a meeting in a bid to avoid a strike. We requested to meet the company on Monday. If we do not have an agreement by Tuesday, we will serve the company with a 48-hour notice to go on strike."

He said the union and the company did not reach an agreement at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA).

"We referred the matter to the CCMA. The matter was not resolved and the company applied for arbitration. The company has no right to apply for abitration... it is us who referred the matter to the CCMA," he said.

Lonmin said it would comment later.

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) called for peace and stability at the Marikana mines.

"The killing of workers should come to an end. We call on mineworkers to stand united against the enemy... exploiting [the] mining class, as opposed to mercilessly butchering each other," said spokesman Castro Ngobese.

A National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) shop steward was shot dead and another critically wounded in Wonderkop on Monday.

On May 11, Amcu regional leader Mawethu Steven was shot dead at a tavern in Photsaneng, and on the same day twin brothers Ayanda and Andile Menzi were killed at a shack in Nkaneng, Wonderkop.

Forty-four people were killed during a unrest at Lonmin in August last year.

Police shot dead 34 striking mineworkers on August 16. Ten people, including two police officers and security guards, were killed in the preceding week.


Source : Sapa /mm/hdw/th/jk
Date : 06 Jun 2013 14:15

Let the savages kill each other .....

 

[Cool E]

Let the savages kill each other .....

By Savages you mean this Film ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savages_(2012_film)

Savages is a 2012 American crime thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It is based on the novel of the same name by Don Winslow. The screenplay was written by Shane Salerno, Winslow and Stone. The film was released on July 6, 2012, and features an ensemble cast including Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Demian Bichir, Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek, John Travolta, and Emile Hirsch.[3]

 

[R13...]

I hope the world is watching.
Anyone who supports these thugs needs their heads checked

I'm sure it is mr merino, why do you think the company's shares have tumbles down from over R200 to R35 now? And the rand, the ratings agencies, the naysayers, etc. They're not the only ones who need their heads checked I fear, anyone who hates their country as much as you do needs examination.

 

[dlk001]

I hope the world is watching.
Anyone who supports these thugs needs their heads checked

World doesn't care that much...They just want Platinum for catalytic converters.

 

[marine1]

I'm sure it is mr merino, why do you think the company's shares have tumbles down from over R200 to R35 now? And the rand, the ratings agencies, the naysayers, etc. They're not the only ones who need their heads checked I fear, anyone who hates their country as much as you do needs examination.

Don't hate the country hate certain people ****ing it up
Get it now? Perhaps you need pictures?

 

[ponder]

Bad to our struggling economy.

Cuz this is Africa

-Shakira

.

 

[nivek]

amcu seem to make numsa look like lil kittens
someone really needs to slap them down before they get even more out of control

 

[Sneeky]

AMCU have a perfectly legit case as far as I can tell.

Why have NUM not been kicked out of their offices by Lonmin, why is Lonmin stalling?

These are NUM/Cosatu's own rules regarding majority unions, which they (NUM) are most certainly not any longer on those sites!

Unless I misunderstand the whole thing completely, they (AMCU) are perfectly entitled to be recognized as the majority union and NUM needs to move along.
NUM obtained a court interdict to delay this process, which said they had 90 days or something to increase membership or something or other, maybe someone can clarify.

AMCU is like 70%, you need 50 +1% to be the majority, NUM will never get that and all it does is give time to breed unrest.
Lonmin and whoever pulls their strings, (maybe Cyril Ramaphosa who founded NUM, was non exec director of Lonmin at the time) is to blame, not the workers asking for recognition.

 

[Wyrd]

Are you taking a rational, thought-out response regarding the strikes, Sneeky? That is not allowed. Strikes, bad, always.

 

[Sneeky]

Strikes are unnecessary, most of the time.

The difference between this strike and the majority before it, anywhere, is it is predominantly centered around 2 unions fight for power.
One could argue that this even goes further to a national level of power. NUM being Cosatu, being ANC.
AMCU not being officially affiliated.

However, all that aside, AMCU are playing to the rules Cosatu and NUM layed down with industry, now that NUM is playing second fiddle, the rules don't apply?

If anyone is to blame here it is LONMIN, imho. We also need to ask why this is the case.
They need to act as decisively, as they would do if it was NUM, surely?

 

[Vrotappel]

Lonmin feeling the heat of doing business in a banana republic.

If they kick out NUM the cANCer will come down on them.

 

[dlk001]

AMCU have a perfectly legit case as far as I can tell.

Why have NUM not been kicked out of their offices by Lonmin, why is Lonmin stalling?

These are NUM/Cosatu's own rules regarding majority unions, which they (NUM) are most certainly not any longer on those sites!

Unless I misunderstand the whole thing completely, they (AMCU) are perfectly entitled to be recognized as the majority union and NUM needs to move along.
NUM obtained a court interdict to delay this process, which said they had 90 days or something to increase membership or something or other, maybe someone can clarify.

AMCU is like 70%, you need 50 +1% to be the majority, NUM will never get that and all it does is give time to breed unrest.
Lonmin and whoever pulls their strings, (maybe Cyril Ramaphosa who founded NUM, was non exec director of Lonmin at the time) is to blame, not the workers asking for recognition.

+1

It is same problem that is affecting AngloPlatinum and Impala. NUM membership is on the decline while AMCU is gaining support.

BUT

AMCU has 70% representation over a category employees who are grouped into Collective Bargaining Forum 1 (CBF1). It has much less support in another category, the Collective Bargaining Forum (CBF2). It is reported that AMCU wants the right to bargain for employees in CBF2/CBF1 and Lonmin is not agreeing with this request.