Gold One’s underground miners have finally resurfaced
All the striking Gold One Mine miners resurfaced from underground on Wednesday afternoon.
All 543 striking Gold One Mine miners resurfaced after a three-day-long sit-in underground on Wednesday afternoon.
The miners started trickling out of the mine from the early hours of Wednesday morning with the first priority being those with chronic illnesses or injuries.
The miners carried out a sit-in underground demanding for the mine to recognise Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) as the main union representing them.
AMCU has majority members of 1 700 while National Union for Mine Workers (NUM) has 110.
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AMCU delegate Musa Khalipha said NUM has been selling them out for so long yet they don’t have majority numbers in the mine.
“The close shop that they have is from 2012, it is supposed to be renewed after three years but they don’t want us to vote because they know they don’t have numbers.
“We have tried negotiating since 2016 to have votes to elect a new union representing the employees with no success.
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“This is the only language that the employer understands, maybe now we will be allowed to bring change that will fight for the miner’s rights,” he added.
On Tuesday night, negotiations between the mine, AMCU, NUM and the CCMA collapsed with the two unions refusing to compromise their demands.
It is alleged that the miners finally gave in due to mounting hunger pains and a fight that ensued between the miners who were now divided into two groups.
One group demanded that they continue fighting underground until the negotiations favours them while the other demanded that they be freed and fight from the outside.
AMCU regional spokesperson Tladi Mokoena said they were prohibited from accessing the miners underground since the strike broke-out.
“We are denied entry into the miner to deliver food and water to the miners, what is it that AMCU officials are prevented from witnessing?
“Since Monday we asked management to allow us access underground to address the underground miners but we were denied.
“Yesterday we asked to be granted access again to deliver food and water to the miners but we were denied again,” he explained.
Tladi added that though the miners have resurfaced they are going to continue fighting to the bitter end for AMCU to be recognised as the union representing the rights of the miners at Gold One Mine.
