Solidarity achieves claim approval for injured Gold One hostages 

13 August 2024 

Five Solidarity members’ claims for damages from Rand Murual Assurance (RMA) have been  accepted now after they had been brutally assaulted by armed, striking mineworkers. These rioters, under the banner of a union dispute, trapped approximately 400 fellow workers underground between 7 and 11 December.

Some of these hostages were members of Solidarity and they were among the victims who were repeatedly beaten and threatened with death. The victims had to be hospitalised afterwards and they had to receive trauma counselling and treatment for, among other things, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This breakthrough regarding the acceptance of their claims came more than half a year later, after a long period during which Solidarity’s Department for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) had to fight on behalf of its affected members.

Thanks to the continued negotiations of Solidarity on behalf of the members it represents and protects, a desired outcome was finally achieved.

Johan Böning, head of OHS at Solidarity, said no worker should ever have to go through what these members went through.

“We are relieved and grateful that our members’ claims for what they had to endure have now been accepted. Hopefully the employer and the authorities will do whatever they can to ensure that something like this never again takes place at the mine.

“In fact, these claims had been rejected initially, but at the insistence of Solidarity the claims were reviewed, and we are happy to say that the objection and review were successful,” Böning said.

Consequently, Solidarity has received notice that RMA has decided to approve the claims of these members, even though they do not technically, on legal grounds, consider this to be a case of injury on duty due to an accident.

The risk associated with employees in the mining industry’s specific work environment was reconsidered and ultimately taken into account when the decision was made to approve the claim.

Solidarity is also grateful for the good spirit in which it was able to conclude the discussions regarding the claims with the chief executive management of  RMA.

Issued by Johan Böning, Head of Department: Occupational Health and Safety, 13 August 2024