Joint Statement by COSATU NC/NUM on the situation at Sishen Iron Ore Mine near Khathu
23 October 2012
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the Northern Cape together with our affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers, is deeply concerned at the attitude of the management of Sishen Iron Ore mine.
Whilst, we have done our best to try and resolve the unprotected strike that started on 03 October 2012, the company does not seem to be coming to the party.
We have held several meetings with the company where we came with concrete proposals to end the strike and the company has rejected all our proposals and come with no alternatives.
In the meantime the company has continued to speak to individual workers to go back to work while sending others sms messages telling them that they are dismissed from work.
This attitude gives us an impression that the company is negotiating in bad faith.
We condemn these divide and rule tactics by the company as they seek to set the workers up against each other and may lead into a violent situation.
We commend the workers for having conducted themselves in a disciplined fashion and have not committed any acts of violence despite the violence that was instituted by the company which led to one worker being severely injured and hospitalised.
We are even not certain if that worker who was assaulted by the company will be able to walk again as he sustained injuries on the spinal cord.
Over and above this assault 47 workers have been arrested on the instruction of the company and are remanded in custody with their bail hearing scheduled for Friday, 26 October 2012.
Those workers were assaulted and their belongings stolen by the private security company that has been hired by the Kumba before they were handed over to the police.
Three employees of the company were escorted at gunpoint from the mine premises when they went to work by the same security company employed by the company.
This happened despite the company policy that prohibits firearms in the company premises.
We also wish to correct the lies that are peddled by Gert Schoeman on behalf of the company, saying that the workers are paid between R12 000 and R31 000 per month.
There are high levels of racism in that company and we have seen a salary advice of a Black Shift Foreman who earns a basic salary of R19 254 per month while his White counterparts earn about R36 000.
The information that we have at our disposal shows that the lowest paid employee at P8 Grading is earning a basic salary of R4 500 per month.
On Friday, 26 October 2012 the arrested workers will be appearing in the Kathu Magistrate Court for a bail hearing.
All workers of Sishen Iron Ore Mine will march in the morning to deliver a memorandum of grievances to both the company management and the Department of Justice.
We call on all the workers including those that have gone home to come back on Friday and join the march.
Statement issued by Anele Gxoyiya and Cornelius Manhe, COSATU and NUM Northern Cape, October 23 2012
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
