Gold One Modder East Operations mine is on the brink of concluding a trade union recognition agreement with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) following a verification process to determine employees who want to join the union.
Final end to simmering tensions
The agreement is expected to put an end to labour tensions that boiled over when mineworkers on multiple occasions embarked on an underground strike.
On Wednesday, Gold One mine head of legal, Ziyaad Hassam, told Sunday World that 494 employees from the mine have opted to join Amcu.
Hassam said their resignations from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will be effective from March 1.
He said an additional 173 membership forms from employees who expressed interest in joining Amcu were still under verification.
The Springs-based mine in Ekurhuleni has a total of 1,700 employees.
Verification process
Last month, Gold One commenced with the Amcu verification process. The desktop verification process was done on January 19, 2024. Physical verification was also done last month. It was facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) in the presence of Amcu and NUM.
“The CCMA report was received yesterday [Tuesday]. It concluded that 494 employees had confirmed their membership with Amcu. Their resignations from NUM will be effective March 1, 2024,” said Hassam.
“An additional 173 membership forms were received after the verification process was concluded and will be internally verified. We are now in the process of concluding a recognition agreement with Amcu. Following which both NUM and Amcu will be recognised as trade unions at Gold One.”
When asked who the majority union is, Hassam said he did not have the full numbers as of yet.
NUM retains slight majority
“The numbers are fluctuating, and we have not done a final count. But as things stand, it looks as though NUM retains a slight majority,” said Hassam.
Hassam said once both unions are recognised as trade unions at Gold One, both will have bargaining rights in terms of the Labour Relations Act.
He said it is very normal in the mining industry to have two trade unions recognised at the same mine.
“There are several examples where NUM and Amcu co-exist at the same mine,” said Hassam.
Meanwhile, Hassam said there will be no closed-shop agreement entered into with any of the unions anymore.
No closed-shop agreements going forward
“There is no closed-shop agreement anymore. The mine will not enter into one with any union going forward,” said Hassam.
A closed-shop agreement allows a trade union to be the only union representing Gold One workers.
NUM effectively terminated its closed-shop agreement with Gold One on December 14, 2023. This gave Amcu the opportunity to register as a trade union at the mine.
551 workers dismissed
Meanwhile, Hassam said 551 mineworkers have been dismissed by Gold One. This was for their involvement in the hostage situations that took place in October and December.
Hassam said of the 551 dismissals, 335 have either been appealed and/or have been referred to the CCMA.
He said all suspended employees have had their disciplinary cases finalised.
Dramatic hostage incidents
In October last year, hundreds of employees refused to come to work for nearly three days. The sit-in was a protest against the company’s failure to recognise Amcu. Mineworkers held about 540 other miners hostage. They were held hostage from October 22 until October 25.
Gold One said at the time that the miners affiliated with NUM who were keen to join Amcu were responsible for the hostage incident. However, Amcu dismissed the allegations, saying the workers had voluntarily decided to stage a sit-in.
In December, there was another hostage situation when 447 mineworkers went underground to work. The hostage situation was from December 7 to December 11.
