Mining’s who’s-who leave AMCU out to dry as accord is signed – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – July 3, 2013)

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PRETORIA (miningweekly.com) – The who’s who of the South African mining sector on Tuesday went ahead and signed the framework agreement for sustainable mining without waiting any longer for the emerging Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) to do so, providing a formidable potential bulwark against any errant behaviour during the upcoming wage talks.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, himself a former mineworker and union leader, led a top table of government, labour and business ratification of the document that AMCU helped to draft 19 days ago, and urged the absent AMCU to do the same as soon as it had consulted fully with its members.

Motlanthe told a media conference that at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria that there was overwhelming agreement that the framework captured the correct approach to addressing the South African mining industry’s niggling problems.

“It also provides a roadmap,” he said of the framework’s stipulation of issues that had to be tackled forthwith and those that would be tacked in the medium and long term, with inputs from AMCU, the National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity, UASA, the Chamber of Mines, the South African Mining Development Association and government.

The declaration at the foot of the document signed lays down swift action, no abrogation of responsibilities and immediate meetings to deal with problems.

“AMCU leadership, which also committed to the framework, requested to be afforded the opportunity go back to its member with this framework and they will also be signing in due course,” the Deputy President said.

Chamber of Mines VP Mike Teke commented to Mining Weekly Online that AMCU and the National Council of Trade Unions or NACTU, of which it is part did not want to sign before telling their members that they would be doing so.

“We ended up saying, okay fine, you can go and consult with your members, but that the rest of us would proceed.

“For us, it’s progress, and we’ll wait for AMCU to come back to us. They’ve walked this path with us, and I’m confident that they are going to sign,” said Teke, who added that AMCU had not at any stage expressed dissatisfaction with the framework document and nor had that they stated that they would not be signing.

Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis and UASA’s Franz Stehring criticised AMCU for failing to sign.

Du Plessis said the agreement allowed for immediate attention to be given, in a well-structured and formal way, to key union issues, including majoritarian principles, and AMCU would now not be part of the process, to the detriment of its members.

“In the first instance they have indicated that they require more time to digest the document and consult with their members,” Du Plessis said, adding, however, that the union was also demanding reinstatement of dismissed workers and retraction of accusations in certain political levels that they were a vigilante trade union.

He said that the agreement’s mandate was one of zero tolerance to violence and intimidation and industry disciplinary action would now be taken against any unlawful conduct.

The agreement also meant that short-term socioeconomic problems like debt and long-term ones like migrant labour would be dealt with

Stehring said AMCU had insufficient leadership and capacity to deal with its own members.

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