COMPANY COMMENT
Much rides on union member verification process at Sibanye-Stillwater
If the process shows the three unions Sibanye signed a wage deal with in November hold the majority in terms of employee representation, the strike is dead in the water
The union membership verification process at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold mines that are bogged down in a protracted strike, is going to be the key to deciding the direction of the stoppage. The outcome of the process will be hotly contested by either Sibanye or the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which has about 14,000 members out on what is rapidly approaching a full five-month strike, depending on the result.If the verification process shows that the three unions Sibanye signed a wage deal with in November hold the majority when it comes to employee representation, the strike is effectively dead in the water because Sibanye can then impose the agreement on Amcu’s members, rendering the strike unprotected.The verified numbers would be taken to the labour court, which had ordered that the process be undertaken to resolve an argument between the union and Sibanye over membership numbers immediately before the strike, and subsequent to the start of the action c...
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