RUSTENBURG – Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are still on strike at the Twickenham Mine in Burgersfort, Limpopo, the union said on Tuesday.

“The strike is still on, the only way to resolve the strike is to reinstate the workers. We are waiting for the intervention of the department of mineral resource [DMR]. We believe the DMR intervention can save the job of the affected workers,” NUM north east deputy regional secretary of education Matlagolo Mmowa said.

About 524 workers downed tools on June 30, after Capital Development Services (CDS) served the union with notice to terminate contracts of 165 workers. CDS is a subsidiary of Anglo American Platinum (Amplats).

The workers demanded that all the affected employees must be reinstated. They also wanted Amplats to cancel its contract with SAN contracting services as a labour hire, and absorb all CDS employees when they return to work.

“We have also been engaged with CDS for the last six months where we proposed as the NUM that the company must consider voluntary severance package [VSP’s] as an alternative to avoid retrenchments. These employees do not even have retirement and pension funds.”

He denied that striking NUM members were intimidating non-striking workers.

“The strike is peaceful. Our members gather when being briefed and after that they dispersed. It is not correct that people are intimidated.”

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction (AMCU) said it supported the plight of the workers and their demands for decent wages and conditions of employment but, condemned the illegal action of preventing its members, who were not participating in the strike, from going to work.

“Our members have been intimidated and assaulted by striking NUM members. Our members have been prevented from entering their residences, their rooms at the hostels are vandalised and so forth, as a result management arranged alternative accommodation for them. No action has been taken by the law enforcement agencies [SA Police Service] despite such illegal acts of violence taking place in their presence,” the union said in a statement.

“We are not against the strike but, proper processes should have been followed by NUM to ensure that the strike is protected to ensure the legality thereof and to safeguards jobs for the employees. Our members cannot be compelled to participate in an unprotected strike.”

Anglo American Platinum was not immediately available for comment.