01 Aug Urgent need for conflict resolution on Lonmin mines
Recent conflict at Lonmin’s Western Platinum operations in the Rustenburg area has claimed the lives of at least 44 people, including two policemen as tension spiralled out of control. The violence marks an escalation of pressure that has rocked Lonmin’s Marikana mine since last Friday, when 3 000 rock-drill operators went on an illegal protest over wage demands.
According to Chris Jacobs, Director at OIM International, a specialist in conflict resolution in the mining industry, the current conflict is a possible cause of a turf war between opposing unions. He says it is important to understand that management cannot control the situation, rather, they can assist unions and workers to manage the situation and to work together to bring an end to conflict.
I’d like to propose an interview with Jacobs (he speaks Afrikaans) who would like discuss solutions to this serious crisis affecting all parties involved. Below are further topics he’d like to speak on:
- Employers’ responsibility towards all stakeholders to facilitate in the conflict;
- The importance for employers to create an environment in which healthy competition is possible between various unions;
- The importance of management taking the initiative to prepare and lead the way for discussions between conflicting groups;
- The need for management to get the unions around the table for a peace conference to provide a framework to deal with the situation;
- Further to this, the need for management and unions to agree on basic principles of democracy- such as the right to associate or disassociate, freedom of choice etc.;
- The importance for management to assist workers to collectively commit themselves to peace and harmony and the importance for unions to control their members;
- Why management should establish monitoring structures in the workplace to deal with issues pro-actively; and
- Why management should engage with and educate employees on their rights and responsibilities as well as the consequences of conflict on their own lives.