Chamber of Mines given a week to respond to NUM
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has given the Chamber of Mines seven days to respond to their list of demands or face a total shutdown of the mining sector.
The NUM and trade union federation Cosatu held a picket outside the Chamber of Mines on Thursday afternoon.
This follows the death of seven miners at Sibanye Gold's Stillwater mine on the West Rand last week.
NUM President Piet Matosa says the chamber should go back to the drawing board and consider their demands.
"I think...we must take a copy because we can’t commit ourselves in what you have written because you have not addressed a number of issues that we said should be addressed.
"The mourning that we are referring to doesn't have to be a particular shaft but the whole mine. We want you to feel that killing people is not a right thing to do,” he said.
#MineSafety The NUM and Cosatu earlier rejected the Chamber of Mines' list of commitment. They have now given the Chamber seven days to respond to their memorandum. pic.twitter.com/7S9eVW5BSw
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) May 10, 2018
The union’s demands include a day of mourning for mineworkers who have died in the line of duty.
NUM says they also want more cooperation to ensure mine safety for workers.
The union has also demanded to meet with the Chamber of Mines board.
According to NUM, the number of fatalities at mines this year stand at 33, with gold mines making up the majority of deaths.