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Johannesburg - The Association of Mineworkers and
Construction Union (Amcu) does not see why it should be part of the Marikana
peace pact, union official Jimmy Gama said on Friday.
"(Lonmin) must address the needs of the workers. We are
not party to the violence," he told reporters in Johannesburg.
The union was asked why it did not sign a peace accord
reached on Thursday after a shooting last month at Lonmin's Marikana mine in
the North West.
The Marikana worker representatives also did not sign the
agreement.
The parties who did sign the peace accord in the early hours
of Thursday morning were Lonmin [JSE:LON], and trade unions the National Union
of Mineworkers, Solidarity and Uasa.
The accord was aimed at paving the way for wage negotiations
and included a commitment to promoting a peaceful work environment.
Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said the union had not
received another mandate from workers, so it could not approach Lonmin with
another wage offer.
"This accord flies in the face of fairness," he
said.
He said neither he nor his union ever put a gun to anyone's head, so there was no need to sign a peace accord.
