/ 27 October 2012

Amplats workers chase Cosatu marchers away

Amplats strikers have chased away a group of Cosatu members who arrived to support them during their strike.
Amplats strikers have chased away a group of Cosatu members who arrived to support them during their strike.

The rest of the marchers were still making their way towards the Olympia Stadium in Rustenburg  from the city centre.

Marchers from the Congress of the South African Trade Unions, clad in their signature red T-shirts, stood 500m from the strikers.

The strikers then made their way towards them, and the Cosatu marchers fled all directions.

One of the strikers, Tshepang Moloi, said they belonged to the Rustenburg branch of the National Striking Committee.

The committee claims to represent striking mineworkers in Gauteng, North West and Limpopo.

'We are not going back'
Moloi said they would not return to work until Amplats gave them a R16 000 salary increase.

"We have a message for [Cosatu general secretary] Zwelinzima Vavi: 'We are not going back to work until our demands are met'."

He said a R2 000 bonus was never negotiated by unions or worker representatives."It comes from management."

On Saturday Amplats announced that it would re-instated 12 000 striking workers who were dismissed after they did not attend disciplinary hearings.

Moloi denied that his group attacked Cosatu marchers.

"All we did was ask them politely to take off their T-shirts, which we then set on fire."

The strikers carried placards. One read: 'Don't let police get away with murder.'

The rest of the marchers were still making their way to the stadium.

Amplats workers have been on a wildcat strike since September 12, soon after the strikes began at Lonmin's Marikana mine, demanding to be paid a minimum of R16 000 a month. – Sapa