Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has threatened to embark on a protected strike on Wednesday next week, should Lonmin fail to declare it the majority trade union at the mine.

The decision was taken on Wednesday night at a mass meeting attended by union president Joseph Mathunjwa. He says they will inform Lonmin of their decision and give them a 40 hour notice to respond to their grievance. Should this fail, production will be brought to a halt.

Mathunjwa has re-iterated a call for the rival National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to vacate their offices at the mine, but adds that this is a separate issue.

Mathunjwa says, “We will take this opportunity until Tuesday, if there’s no agreement, and then we will be in a position to serve the employer with the 48 hours that our members will be embarking on a protected strike, which will start on Saturday morning. The issue is about recognizing AMCU as the majority union at Lonmin Platinum. It’s not a part of the demand to close NUM offices. The agreement will stipulate the processes of what right should a union be given.”
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