EWN writes that the National Union of Mineworkers has given its members the go-ahead to return to work at the Gold One mine. This follows a gruelling three-day hostage drama at the Modder East operation. More than 500 mineworkers affiliated with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) failed to resurface at the end of their shift on Sunday, allegedly held captive by rival union – the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) amid a wage dispute.

AMCU has however, denied this claiming it was a voluntary and planned sit-in to force the company to grant the union organising rights at the mine. Regional leaders of the NUM met with management at the Gold One mine to discuss the implications of the labour dispute on operations. In the aftermath of the hostage drama, the union flagged some of its safety concerns.

In the latest meeting, NUM’s Victor Ngwane said the company had put some of their concerns at ease. “Workers will be going back systematically, in groups… your officials, overseers, and miners have started preparing underground – looking for faults to clean up about a full return to work [that] can be executed as and when there is a need. They will call people back to work.” Ngwane said it could take up to two weeks for operations to run at optimum levels.

by Nokukhanya Mntambo