Aurora workers getting paid by the liquidators
The Congress of South African Trade Unions and its affiliate NUM congratulate the former workers of Aurora for being united, strong and undivided, trusting that both COSATU and NUM will deal with the case of exploitation by Aurora directors for so many years.
The Aurora workers at Orkney in the NW have been exploited by the mine bosses related to some of the politicians in our country. They have not been working since 2007, and we are now reporting that workers are able to receive a payment from the liquidators as part of the money owed to them.
The paying of workers from the liquidators is part of the result of the new company, China African Precious Metals (CAPM), taking over the mine on Monday 10thDecember 2012. The workers are to be taken back to start earning salaries from the company as early as February 2013. We are congratulating the workers for fighting their case undivided for so many years and that they listened to the federation and its union during bad times.
COSATU and NUM led many marches to the Departments of Mineral Resources and Labour, demanding that workers must be paid what is due to them and that those who are implicated in the exploitation of workers, stealing from the poor and stealing the assets from the mine be brought to book.
Workers are being paid from the liquidators, from R13 000 to R16 000. We very as the federation hope that workers will not have a black Christmas, as they have had for the past four years. We really congratulate the strong undivided workers who have fought for so long and confirm to the public that without the unions, NUM and COSATU, it is not easy for any worker to take up a long strike.
Workers must unite to fight against the exploitation by any company regardless of its political affiliation. Workers at Aurora remained supportive to the union and the federation and today they are celebrating their victories.
It must be on record that Aurora directors still owing workers over R3milion as per the court order of 2009 and we are still fighting for that and we will not stop. We are still demanding that the outstanding money from directors must be paid to workers.
We have given the Minister of Labour a mandate that the matter must go to the criminal court for law enforcement of the Labour Court order which was issued against Aurora in 2009.
We are happy that the new company will be starting the recruitment of workers back to the mine early as February 2013 and that workers will start a new life at that time.
VIVA NUM, VIVA COSATU, VIVA UNDIVIDED WORKERS!
Statement issued by COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, Solly Phetoe, December 14 2012
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