Kimberley - Mine workers who have spent more than two days underground at Petra Diamonds’ mines in Kimberley are refusing to come to the surface until the management of the mine agreed to their wage increase demands.
The workers have downed tools and are staging a sit-in underground at the company’s three mines - Joint Shaft, Wesselton and Koffiefontein mines.
On Wednesday the workers who were on the surface at Joint Shaft Mine told the DFA that they were concerned about the health of their colleagues who had spent two days underground without food and water.
“We are struggling to transport food and water to our colleagues who are underground because the management of the mine has taken the keys that open the cages that transport us underground and back to the surface. We had to make plans to get bread and water to the workers underground while the company refused to assist,” the miners stated.
“Some of the workers who are underground are sick and our efforts to send them medication has failed because the mine management is preventing us from doing so.
“In fact we had to hide the worker’s medication inside the bread we sent to them earlier.”
Speaking to the DFA from inside the company premises, the workers vowed not to return to work until the mine management gave in to their demands.
“We have been working for this company for years yet we are poor! We earn as little as R1 600. What can we do with this little money? We cannot even look after our children or take them to school. That is why we are demanding R10 000 basic salary for general workers and R17 000 for machine operators. We also want our bonuses,” they stated.
They accused the company of being racist and promoting white people only.
“Black people are being oppressed at this mine to such an extent that they are afraid of complaining because if they do, they are fired. Whites are the only people being trained and promoted while blacks are sidelined. Why don’t you ask yourself why only blacks are gathered here. It is because the whites are in the air-conditioned offices polishing their nails while we are underground.”
They accused the mine of flouting the mines safety regulations, including failing to ensure that the shafts were properly ventilated.
They said that they were inspired by mine workers in Marikana who went on a violent protest that ended in police shooting and killing 34 miners in August. “Miners in Marikana gave us hope and strength to rise up and fight against the injustices in our place of work. We will forever be grateful to them,” they said.
The miners at Wesselton Mine said that they too had to scrape around for food and water for the workers who are underground.
“The workers have reiterated that they will not come to the surface until they have achieved what we are demanding for,” the miners stated.
Petra Diamonds denied allegation that it was preventing the workers who were underground from accessing medication, food and water.
“The workers who are staging a sit-in underground are there voluntarily and on the outside we have tried our best to ensure that those of them who need medical assistance are attended to. Just yesterday [on Tuesday] two workers who needed medical assistance were helped to get to the surface,” the company’s spokesman, Gert Klopper, said.
“As we speak a team of medical personnel is ready to assist the workers immediately when they decide to come to the surface.”
Klopper said, however, they would not comment on the demands of the workers because the company was still in negotiations with NUM which represents the workers at the mine.
“But it is unfortunate that workers have decided to circumvent legislated bargaining processes and embark on an illegal strike.
“Marikana has certainly changed the country’s labour relations landscape and opened the door for unprotected strikes in the country but this will not benefit the workers because they will lose their bargaining power,” Klopper added.
He also said that the illegal industrial action was only limited to Wesselton and Joint Shaft mines.
At the time of going to press NUM’s provincial secretary, Cornelius Manhe, said that the talks between them and Petra Diamonds were still continuing.
Diamond Fields Advertiser