Mines tense with all eyes on strike talks

Tensions are rising at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in North West as the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the mine's management prepare to meet today to find a way of avoiding another strike.

In the latest violent incident in the area, an Amcu shop steward was gunned down at the weekend. He was shot and killed at his home near Wonderkop - the hill on which 34 striking miners were killed by police last year.

Amcu treasurer Jimi Gama yesterday said the man was shot on Saturday night. He was a shop steward at the mine's Roland shaft.

"We are currently looking for more information," said Gama.

North West police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said he could not confirm that the shooting was related to the mine violence.

A National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) shop steward was shot and killed at his union' s offices at Lonmin's Western Platinum Mine on Monday last week.

In response to the ongoing violence, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant said the government was considering deploying a "peace-keeping force" in the mining sector.

There has been widespread instability and violence in the mining sector - especially at platinum mines - since wildcat strikes hit Impala Platinum early last year and flared up again at Lonmin in August.

On August 16, 34 striking miners at Marikana were shot and killed by the police.

In the days before the massacre, 10 people - including two security guards and two police officers - were murdered.

Amcu wants recognition as the majority-representation union at the Lonmin mine.

It has threatened to strike again if negotiations deadlock.

"As far as we are concerned, the mandate is still the same. If we don't get an outcome [at today's meeting], we will go on strike," said Gama.

Lonmin's management has warned that it would view the strike as "illegal" and added that it has "significantly" increased security at its mines.

"There is an increased police presence in the area and Lonmin itself has significantly increased the amount of security personnel we have on the property," Mark Munroe, executive vice-president for mining, said.

Mokgwabone said police at the mine might be "reinforced".

"We will [make a decision] after the meeting [today]."

Amcu represents about 70% of Lonmin's category 4-9 workers (which includes miners and rock drill operators). These categories form one of Lonmin's two collective bargaining forums.

Amcu wants recognition thresholds of 35% for basic organisational rights, 45% for collective bargaining and 50%+1 for the majority union in all job categories, basically reducing the company to one collective bargaining forum. Lonmin wants to retain the two bargaining forums and has offered to accept these thresholds but only for the forum where category 4-9 workers are represented.

In the other bargaining forum Lonmin suggested retaining the threshold at 20% as it currently stands.

"They must decide whether they want a single union dispensation or a multi-union dispensation," said NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka.

"We hope the status quo [of a multi-union dispensation] stays, because it would be a risk to leave other unions out. That may lead to a repeat of Marikana."

NUM and Amcu have been fighting a turf war at the mine, with Amcu rapidly rising to become the union with the most support in the platinum belt.

Seshoka said Amcu members at the weekend tried to close a NUM office at Shaft Sinkers, in Rustenburg, a company at which Amcu has no representation.

Wage negotiations for workers in gold and coal mining are under way between NUM, Amcu, other minority unions and the Chamber of Mines.

In the platinum industry, negotiations will, as in the past, be company-by-company.

Two weeks ago, President Jacob Zuma called a press briefing on the troubled mining industry, which he described as a cornerstone of the economy.

"We need a stable mining sector," he said.

The week before he ordered Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe "to lead the interactions with labour and with business".

Motlanthe is being helped by Oliphant, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu.

Zuma stressed at the briefing that his government would be impartial - but many top ANC officials have strong links to labour federation Cosatu, a partner in the ANC-led tripartite alliance, and its affiliate, the NUM.

Last year, even before the wildcat strikes, about half of the platinum mines were running at a loss, according to industry experts.

Platinum shipments by South African producers fell by 16% to 4.10million ounces last year, according to a report by Johnson Matthey, the world's top supplier of catalytic converters, used in the automotive industry to cut noxious exhaust emissions.

"At least 750000oz of production were lost [during the year] to legal and illegal strikes, safety stoppages and the closure of some marginal mining operations," the company said last month.

Johnson Matthey added that the worldwide primary supply of platinum fell by 13% to 5.64million ounces, the lowest in 12 years.

"Changes to supply from other regions were insignificant by comparison," read the report. - Additional reporting by Reuters