NATIONAL Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) members at Lanxess mine have staged an underground protest in Bleskop near Rustenburg in the North West.The protest has been on since this past Wednesday.
It is sparked by a number of issues that include an unending sexual harassment matter. A female employee was allegedly sexually harassed in August 2018 by management. The alleged harassment was reported but it has not come to a resolution.
The Sun Team managed to get hold of an underground employee at the mine on who wished to remain anonymous. He said management refuses to acknowledge female mine workers as being able to do their work.
He said one of their demands is for management to deal with the issue of sexual harassment in the mine. The underground miner said they demand that the alleged sexual perpetrator be disciplined.
"We have been here since Wednesday and we will not get out till management takes us serious. There is a total of 280 of us underground, male and female combined. They must deal with sexual harassment in this mine," he said.
The gentleman further added other demands include failing to give NUMSA recognition since last year.
He added that 50 mine workers were unfairly dismissed and they demand for those employees to be reinstated. They were involved in a strike against Lanxess in 2018.
NUMSA Local Organiser in Rustenburg Mere Boase said they are against bad treatment experienced by employees.
"Since May 2018 employees under NUMSA have been given bad treatment. We also suspect that this young woman was also treated badly for being a member of NUMSA. We are appealing with management to deal with this issue because family members are suffering," said Mere. Calls to Lanxess Mine rang unanswered.
