More than 50 mine workers were being held hostage underground at Two Rivers Platinum mine in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, by members of a rival trade union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday.
Miners had been held hostage since Tuesday night by members of the Association of Mining and Construction Union, NUM representative Doctor Mathiso said.
The rival union, AMCU, which recently signed a recognition agreement with mine management, was against NUM’s agreement with management on Christmas breaks for workers. The mine is partly owned by African Rainbow Minerals (ARM).
Of the 50 workers, about 20 were NUM members. They were apparently being threatened.
“Ten of our members managed to escape this morning and they say the situation is quite bad down there; people are scared as they are promised to be killed,” Mathiso said.
However, Mike Schmidt, an executive of ARM, denied the claims that the NUM’s members were being held hostage by members of AMCU.
“We are not aware of a hostage situation. Management has gone down to speak to the workers, and some of the workers have come up to get food and drink, and no one has indicated they are being held against their will,” Schmidt said.
Jimmy Gama, AMCU’s regional secretary for Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, said the union had disassociated itself from the sit-in action, and had urged its members to return to work.
NUM was recognised as an official union by Two Rivers management three years ago.
Operations at the mine were temporarily stopped and workers that reported for their morning shifts instructed to go home. — Sapa, Reuters