Rfustenburg -
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant arrived in Wonderkop near Marikana, North West, on Tuesday afternoon, to meet striking Lonmin worker representatives and mine management.
The meeting, to be held behind closed doors, was expected to clarify the role unions would play in a peace accord meeting on Wednesday.
Oliphant would also meet the National Union of Mineworkers, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, Solidarity, and Uasa in a bid to resolve the strike.
Earlier, worker spokesman Zolisa Bodlani said that in previous meetings they had with mine management, their demand for a R12 500 monthly salary was not discussed.
“In the previous two meetings, management promised to engage us on the R12 500 yesterday (Monday), but now they are saying the matter is in the hands of Mildred Oliphant.”
Bodlani said workers wanted to know the role the unions would play in the meeting with the minister on Wednesday.
The striking workers earlier indicated they wanted to represent themselves without the help of the unions.
“Other unions have failed us, and some have not failed us, but we want to represent ourselves.”
He said the unions should be observers at Wednesday's meeting.
The workers described themselves as “Lonmin workers” and not members of any union.
Lonmin said work attendance at its platinum mines was at eight percent on Tuesday.
“There are unsubstantiated reports of intimidation in two mining areas around Karee Mine this morning,” the company said in a statement.
“No incidents of violence have been reported. Management is appealing to all stakeholders to remain calm.”
Lonmin said it understood that its employees were waiting for the risk of intimidation to disappear before returning to work.
A meeting to sign a peace agreement would be held on Wednesday at 10am, in the Rustenburg Civic Centre. It was organised by Oliphant and would be attended by unions, management and worker representatives.
“The signing of a peace accord is considered the first step of the resolution process, and will provide all parties with a framework within which agenda items, such as wages, can be discussed,” Lonmin said.
Management encouraged all parties involved to sign the accord so the situation could be stabilised.
The SA Council of Churches (SACC) said on Tuesday that it managed to open up dialogue between Lonmin and its striking workers.
“We have managed to bring the management and the workers to engage each other. It is only in talks that we would be able to solve the problem,” said SACC president Bishop Jo Seoka.
“The hostility has ceased,” he told reporters in Wonderkop, near Marikana in the North West, where 34 striking workers were shot dead in a confrontation with police on August 16.
Seoka described the talks as promising.
“There is hope, at least the two parties are talking.” - Sapa