Amcu: Sibanye-Stillwater pleading poverty to cover up its arrogance
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) marched on the Mineral Council of South Africa and mining company Sibanye-Stillwater in the Johannesburg CBD on Tuesday.
Amcu members have downed tools at Sibanye’s gold operations and is threatening with a secondary strike in the platinum sector.
The union's president Joseph Mathunjwa handed over the memorandum to the council’s chief executive, Isaac Kwesu, giving him 48 hours to respond to their demands.
Mathujwa says workers are demanding an increase of R1000 over a period of three years.
"Our compromise position is 6% for officials and artisans. The difference between our demands is the first two years is R300 and the third R175, that’s the difference that took us apart."
Mathunjwa believes the mining company is pleading poverty when in fact it is just arrogant.
"It's not to say they don't have money, they do have money. They were bragging, saying that gold strike doesn't hurt them since they are making their money through the platinum sector."
Mathunjwa says the mining company is using workers in other sectors to "oppress the workers at the gold sector".
"Hence we had this one-day strike, as a warning to say if this strike is not resolved then we're going to extend out secondary strike to other operations."