Share

Lonmin confident of averting strike

Johannesburg - Platinum producer Lonmin [JSE:LON] said on Wednesday it was confident it could reach a recognition agreement with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and avert a strike.

Amcu wants to be recognised as the majority union at Lonmin as it now represents over 70% of the workforce at the world's third-largest producer of the precious metal. The union has threatened to issue strike notice as early as Wednesday if talks fail.

The company and the union have been in talks for the past two days but have so far failed to reach an agreement.

Lonmin spokesperson Sue Vey said the dispute would go for arbitration on June 26.

"There is no agreement at the moment and we are therefore continuing with the route of arbitration," Vey said. "We are however confident that an agreement can be reached through continued negotiations."

Amcu said on Tuesday it would serve Lonmin with a notice to strike today if there was no agreement. 

Jeffrey Mphahlehle, the union's general secretary, told Reuters a decision on whether to serve the strike notice will be made later on Wednesday.

Lonmin's mines were shut for weeks by an illegal strike in 2012 and were the centre of widespread violence in the platinum belt. Police shot dead 34 miners at Lonmin's Marikana mine in the worst security incident since the end of apartheid.

Amcu, which has emerged as the dominant union in the platinum shafts after a bloody turf war with the once unrivalled National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), has also led two brief wildcat strikes at Lonmin this year, most recently last month.

Lonmin said last week it had increased security at its mines, which are only found in South Africa, in response to violence and labour strife.

Workers from both unions are still being killed. Last week a NUM shop steward was shot dead at a Lonmin mine, weeks after an Amcu organiser was murdered in a tavern. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
907.85
+1.2%
Palladium
1,012.25
+1.1%
Gold
2,219.28
+1.1%
Silver
24.85
+0.8%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders