Miners' wives say union is failing workers

The wives of mining company Gold One workers have laid bare what they say are their husband's frustrations regarding one of the unions as it did not fight for employees' rights.

On Tuesday, the women arrived at the mine's Modder East Operations in Springs, on the East Rand, where more than 500 members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) are allegedly being held hostage.

The mine alleged that 41 members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu)  had been holding their colleagues against their will since Sunday afternoon.

The wife of a team leader at the mine who asked not to be named said her 58-year-old husband has been working at the mine for 15 years and earns R12,000 a month after deductions.

"My husband doesn't get a bonus and was recently forced to join a medical aid, for which he pays R700 and it excluded us as members of his family. He recently fell ill after contracting TB at work.

"Though he completed his six-month TB treatment, he is still not feeling well and I am worried about his health, especially since he's been underground since Sunday," said the woman.

She said she would like to see Amcu replace NUM at the mine so that it could fight for better worker remuneration packages.

Jane Radebe, whose husband is also underground, said the situation was painful and emotional.

“This morning I was at home crying and praying as I wondered how my husband and his colleagues were doing. Our brothers, fathers, sisters and mothers have been underground since Sunday.

“This is also stressful for my children as they see on the news that their father is affected.”

Employee Bongiwe Khambule, a roof bolt operator at the mine, told Sowetan she earns R12,600 a month.

"As employees, we are no longer benefiting from having NUM as a union, hence we want it to be replaced by Amcu. If the employer wants to retain NUM as the majority union, while we don't, what is the employer benefiting from this arrangement?”

Another employee, who works as a contractor in the laundry department said she was working without a salary increase for the past 11 years and she can't access her pay slip in order to get bank loans.

"I would like to see Amcu coming into the mine to fight for our rights. Since 2012, I have been earning R4,000 and it is not fair to me and my family," she said.

sibanyonim@sowetan.co.za