Johannesburg-South-Africa:
The South African government has reached an agreement with the mining sector on the need to settle employment issues through negotiations.
The agreement was reached after Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant met with the Chamber of Mines and executives of the platinum and gold sector over the weekend, according to the Government Communication and information System.
“This has arisen from the acknowledgement by all stakeholders that the current status quo wherein each company negotiates individually has created opportunity for non-recognized labour structures to make demands outside the agreed and recognized forums,” said a statement from Shabangu’s office.
Executives at mining firms, through the Chamber of Mines, have been tasked to work on the modalities of how this option will be implemented in the short to long term, the statement said.The meeting took place following the deaths of 44 miners in violence at the Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana of the North West Province in the past two weeks.
Of the victims, 34 were shot dead by police and 10 others, including two police officers, were killed in clashes linked to rivalry between unions fighting to gain dominance among the miners. The clashes came after thousands of miners staged a protest on Aug. 10 to demand a rise in salaries.
The Lonmin mine management has announced that more than half of the striking workers have returned to work. The two ministers are part of the Inter-Ministerial Committee delegated by President Jacob Zuma to look into the events surrounding the Marikana tragedy.
Oliphant earlier expressed optimism that a solution would be found not only for the problems in Marikana, but for the other mines in the platinum belt that might be experiencing problems. (Xinhua)
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