90 000 construction workers remain on strike, secondary strike to hit Nkomati mine

Press Statement, 03 September 2013

90 000 construction workers remain on strike, secondary strike to hit Nkomati mine

The strike by 90 000 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has today entered into its second week affecting major construction companies such as WBHO, Group Five, Aveng, Murray & Roberts, Stocks & Stocks and many more. The strike will spill over to Nkomati mine in Limpopo after the NUM issued a notice for a secondary strike. The notice follows the refusal by MCC Nkomati Joint Venture to accede to the demands of the construction workers at Nkomati mine. MCC Nkomati Joint Venture is a construction company based at Nkomati mine in Machadodorp, Mpumalanga, a nickel mine owned by African Rainbow Minerals. “We have notified the mine of our intention to embark on a secondary strike action in support of the construction workers. This is lawful and we will begin our strike on Friday, the 6th of September” says William Mabapa, the NUM Regional Secretary in the North East Region.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers has rejected the 8 and 10% offered by the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC), the employer body representing construction companies on the basis that the offer does not raise the minimum wages from R4400 to R5500 as demanded by members. The strike continues and major construction projects have come to a halt.

For further information, please contact:

William Mabapa- 082 414 8276

Lesiba Seshoka (Spokesman)

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/100860023402167