NUM welcomes the end of the five-month violent strike at Sibanye Stillwater

Press statement, 23 April 2019

NUM welcomes the end of the five-month violent strike at Sibanye Stillwater

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) welcomes the decision taken by Sibanye Stillwater and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Workers Union (AMCU) to end the five-month violent strike yesterday.

We also welcome the fact that AMCU decided to sign the same wage agreement which was signed by the NUM, Uasa, and Solidarity last year. The five-month strike by AMCU did not achieve anything except that it was characterised by intimidation, violence, and killings of innocent mineworkers. It is a boatload of lies by AMCU to claim any victory. The five-month violent strike did not achieve anything. It brought suffering and misery to the workers.

Now that the strike is over, the NUM demands immediate arrests of perpetrators of violence at Sibanye-Stillwater Operations by the newly launched crime combating unit.

Ever since the strike started in November last year, NUM members who were not on strike, became targets on the basis that the NUM signed a three-year wage agreement after a marathon of wage negotiations.

Our members working for Sibanye Stillwater in various operations are continuing to count the losses. Up to today, more than 60 houses and 13 vehicles have been burnt down. Nine workers were brutally killed. Other workers have since sustained serious injuries. This is the extent of the damage so far caused by the violent AMCU strike

The agreement covered wages and conditions of service from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021. The agreement allowed for increases of R700 per month in the first and second year, and R825 per month in the third year for Category 4-8 surface and underground employees. Miners, artisans, and officials will receive increases of 5.5% in the first year and 5.5% or CPI – whichever is greater – in years two and three.

The living-out allowance was increased by R50 to a maximum of R2 150 per month from 1 September 2018 and will reach R2 225 in 2019 and R2 325 in 2020. The guaranteed minimum severance payment was increased to R50 000 over the three-year period.

For more information, please contact:

David Sipunzi: NUM General Secretary: 082 883 7293
Luphert Chilwane: NUM Media Officer: 083 809 3255

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