South Africa
Amcu to reconvene and make decision about four-month long strike at Sibanye─── 16:55 Thu, 04 Apr 2019
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) will on Friday reconvene for another mass meeting to receive an update on some of the issues that are still in discussion regarding the ongoing strike at Sibanye-Stillwater gold operations.
This will be a second meeting of the union at Sibanye in one week. On Monday, Amcu vowed not to back down and said that the four-month workers' strike at Sibanye will continue.
At least 15,000 Amcu members downed tools on November 21, at Driefontein, Kloof and Beatrix, Sibanye's gold operations in South Africa, demanding higher wages after the miner signed a wage agreement with three other unions.
Amcu is demanding R1,000 yearly wage increments for the next three years, while the National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity and UASA accepted R750 per year for the next three years.
Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa and the union's national leadership will again meet with union members at Masizakhele Stadium in Driefontein on Friday to give them an update on ongoing wage negotiations with the employer.
Addressing Amcu members, Mathunjwa said the road to economic liberation was not an easy one and the decision to go on strike was not taken lightly.
"Our objective has always been and will always be to fight for our members to earn a decent living wage. There have been many ploys to bring an end to the strike, including Sibanye-Stillwater colluding with government in an unholy union," Mathunjwa said.
He said that the strike was a joint decision that was taken collectively by all members, and thus, it was important that whatever decision was taken going forward regarding the strike was a decision taken collectively by the members.
ANA
