COSATU remembers all workers killed before, during and after the Marikana tragedy
16 August 2015
The Congress of South African Trade Unions remembers the loss of lives suffered by South Africa before, during and after the Marikana tragedy three years ago.
More than 44 lives were lost!
COSATU has acknowledged the work of the Farlam Commission on Marikana under the Honourable Judge Ian Gordon Farlam, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal as Chairperson and others which was established to dig deeper into the circumstances of the tragedy where workers were injured and killed.
And the Marikana Commission has found that Lonmin did not use its best endeavours to resolve the dispute which arose between itself and its workers in the un-protected strike on one hand and between the strikers and those workers, who did not participate in the strike action.
COSATU calls for full implementation of the Farlam Commission in relation to having mine bosses comply with housing obligations to improve living conditions of all miners in South Africa.
COSATU reiterates its call for urgent improvement of all mining workers’ wages and alleviate all the poverty-stricken areas around the mining complexes.
South Africa must venture in exploring sustainable crowd control measures during strike actions as the methods applied before, during and after the Marikana tragedy were found to be inadequate to be acceptable by the public.
COSATU calls for all employers to enhance their capacities on adherence of the current provisions of the Labour Relations regime which stipulates that everyone must participate in an employment relations milieu which is premised on a ‘sound’, ‘peaceful’ and ‘mutual’ resolving of labour-related disputes.
COSATU also supports the active oriented resolution of labour disputes by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration [CCMA]
COSATU send its heartfelt condolences to all families which were affected by the tragic incidents which may be traced from the 11th August 2012 in Rustenburg at the Lonmin Mine.
COSATU rejects the looming job cuts in the mining industry and calls for full compliance by mining companies on the Mining Charter.
Never shall a labour dispute for a decent work agenda result in bloodshed!
Statement issued by COSATU, August 16 2015
