Johannesburg - Workers at Sibanye's platinum mine in Rustenburg will return to work on Monday evening following a wildcat strike on Friday, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said on Monday.
After a mass meeting at the Rustenburg mine, Amcu general secretary Jeffrey Mphahlele told Reuters the union would meet Sibanye officials to discuss their demand for transport for night-shift workers.
The about-turn occurred a few hours after it said on social media that it would continue its illegal strike at Sibanye’s Kroondal mine over a lack of transport.
READ: Amcu vows to continue illegal strike at Sibanye
The strike was ruled illegal, unlawful and unprotected by the Labour Court on Friday.
“In terms of the judgment, Amcu may not participate in or incite or otherwise encourage any Kroondal employees to embark on unprotected strike action in accordance with the strike notice issued by the Court,” Sibanye [JSE:SGL] said in a statement.
“Kroondal management has been engaging with Amcu on this issue in good faith since January 2016,” said Jean Nel, CEO of Sibanye's platinum operations. “We will continue to engage with Amcu in order to find a workable solution.”
Amcu went on the illegal strike on May 27 over a lack of transport for employees.
"The company doesn't want to provide transport for its employees and these are basic conditions of employment," Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa told Reuters.
“Kroondal 1 can't forget the brutal murder of Cde Maila in February this year due to lack of transport from her night shift,” Amcu tweeted on May 27.
Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis said the striking workers stoned some vehicles last week, while a Solidarity member was assaulted by the strikers.
“Solidarity … calls on Amcu to declare its interests regarding a particular bus company, as it is believed that the reason behind the strike lies in Amcu’s desire to protect its own commercial interests,” Du Plessis said.