Labour union, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) on Tuesday insisted the more than 500 mineworkers underground at Gold One Mine’s Modder East shaft in Springs, east of Johannesburg are its members.
Amcu also insisted that none of the more than 500 workers would come to the surface until Gold One recognises Amcu as the majority union in the workplace.
Speaking to broadcaster eNCA at the mine in Springs on Tuesday morning, Amcu representative Musa Khalipha said the workers underground would not come to the surface unless their demands for “organisational rights” are met by the mine.
“What is happening is that none of our members is going to come out, from underground, unless we get the organisational rights. That is the situation that we are in,” said Khalipha.
Asked about the reported hostage situation, Khalipa said the reports peddled by the mine and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was “a super lie”.
He claimed that of the 1,800 mineworkers serving at the mine, at least 1,700 have joined the Amcu.
On the other hand, the NUM also insists that the more than 500 miners stuck underground were its members and they were being held hostage by Amcu “hooligans”.
Police and different private security companies were at the scene on Tuesday morning.
NUM national spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu insisted that there was no voluntary sit-in taking place at the mine.
“The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) can confirm that 543 NUM members are being held hostage underground at Gold One mine in Springs. NUM members are being held hostage underground against their will. There is no sit-in underground by our members,” he said.
According to Mammburu, the hostage situation started on Sunday night when workers reported for a night shift underground, and they were prevented from coming back to the surface on Monday morning.
“Nine NUM members got injured after they were assaulted by the hooligans who were preventing them from coming to the surface. They are still preventing them from coming to the surface,” he said.
“NUM is worried that there are a lot of women who are being held hostage underground. This is unacceptable.”
On Monday, IOL reported that Gold One mine's spokesperson Jon Hericourt also revealed that at least 543 of their miners were being held hostage after they were prevented from coming up at the end of their shift.
IOL