Platinum strike too long for workers
Yesterday, 23rd March 2014, the strike in the platinum belt concluded its second month and marked the beginning of the third month. This, in real terms, means that the workers who are on strike are about to lose a third month's pay in one year. This also means that the debts of those workers will be three months in arrears and this might prompt creditors to hand the workers over for debt collection or repossession.
While COSATU supports the call for a living wage and demands that the workers must be taken out of poverty, we believe that it is irresponsible to take workers on such a long strike where there are no prospects of achieving the demands.
COSATU has also noted the effect which the strike is having in the towns which are near the platinum mines, which might plunge the economy.
COSATU has also been inundated with calls from workers who want to go back to work as they are now starting to become hungry and their families are suffering due to the effects of the strike.
Most of children whose fathers and mothers are on a prolonged strike cannot go to schools due to not being able to pay for the transport and meeting the other requirements of their children at school.
COSATU calls on the government to work together with the mining companies to assist in protecting those workers who want to go back to work, as they have a right to choose or to take decisions to protect their families.
We are requesting our government, under the leadership of the deputy president of the RSA, as the convenor of the mining structures, to facilitate a process involving both employers and trade unions to think seriously about the learners and families who are not eating for the third month.
The Mining Crime Combating Forum which is meeting on 26th March 2014 must find a way of discussing the situation in the mine created by the violence of striking workers on those who are not part of the strike.
On a daily basis workers are beaten and killed, their poor houses are burned and their properties are damaged.
COSATU also calls on the police to arrest those who are implicated in the violence in the mines and for the courts to deny them bail once they are arrested by the police.
We are disappointed with our prosecution and justice system for its continuation of granting bail to a person who has more than three bails on charges of murder in the same Impala mine.
COSATU further calls for government intervention in resolving the strike and for them later to come up with a legislated national minimum wage.
We call on all mining houses to make a security plan for those workers who want to go back to work and those workers must be protected from home to work and during the nights.
We are giving the employers from today, 25th March 2014, to produce that plan. If they fail to release the plan within the seven days COSATU, jointly with MDM structures, will be leading a march against all those mining houses in the NW.
Our call is to take workers lives seriously and listen to their call to return to work after two months with no food for their families.
Statement issued by COSATU North West Provincial Secretary, Solly Phetoe, March 25 2014
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