Marikana mineworkers feel shafted by Amcu
As Amcu’s power wanes disillusioned members say the union is failing to protect jobs and render quality labour services
Workers have accused the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which rose to prominence in the North West’s platinum belt, of failing to live up to its lofty promises as job losses in mining begin to bite. The union burst onto the scene in the build-up to and the aftermath of the 2012 Marikana massacre, following which its membership numbers swelled and it unseated the ANC-aligned National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as the dominant labour force in the area and platinum sector. Almost five years later, Amcu has lost 6,500 members in Marikana in the past year and there are fears more job losses are looming amid talk of retrenchments. It is against this backdrop that Amcu members are disillusioned and say the union is failing to protect jobs and render quality labour services. On a recent visit to Marikana, Business Day encountered an area riven by socioeconomic strife as Lonmin, one of the top platinum producers in the world and one of the biggest employers in the ...
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