The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and UASA are getting ready to embark on a massive strike of more than 30 000 workers at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Gold operations. As part of the preparations, the Unions met on Monday (21 February 2022) at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg to map the way forward including that each individual trade union must follow the processes determined by its constitution when it comes to gathering mandates to proceed with strike action, such as conducting ballots. The Unions have already secured the services of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to oversee these processes.

Meanwhile, all the Unions are highly disappointed in the intimidation tactics of Sibanye-Stillwater who has been seen deploying armoured vehicles such as nyalas and thousands of security personnel at its operations, in an attempt to scare workers. As Unions, we fail to understand how these mining bosses can be so arrogant as to splash money on militaristic and heavy-handed security forces when we are dealing with a simple labour dispute. Why don’t they rather spend these millions on paying the workers what is due to them?

Sibanye-Stillwater’s latest wage offer:

Category 4-8 (surface and underground workers)

Year 1-R700

Year 2-R700

Year 3-R700

Artisans, miners and officials

Year 1- 5%

Year 2- 5%

Year 3- 5%

Our members are clear. They want an increase of R1000 per month or 6%, and they will not settle for less.

We are extremely disappointed that Sibanye-Stillwater is pleading poverty during the current wage negotiations against the backdrop of its performance on the market.

The four trade unions therefore would like to take this opportunity to appreciate and thank your presence here as members of the media. We hope you will responsibly take this opportunity and sensitise members of the public about the type of a company that we are dealing with

As workers of this company, we are not calling for record remuneration, but merely a fair and market-related increase to our monthly earnings. It is important to give the workers recognition for the critical role we played in the record performance of Sibanye-Stillwater.

This fact alone legitimises our demands for better terms and conditions of employment more than ever before.

There is no sweet strike. A strike is a strike. You want to get back what belongs to you. You won’t win a strike with a Bible. You do not wear high heels and carry an umbrella and say ‘1992 was under apartheid, 2007 is under ANC’. You won’t win a strike like that.

For more information, please contact:

Jimmy Gama, AMCU Treasurer-General, 066 392 1167

William Mabapa, NUM Acting General Secretary, 082 880 4439

Riaan Visser, Solidarity Deputy General Secretary, 072 667 0520

Franz Sterhring, UASA The Divisional Manager, 082 806 5164