Put the interests of the economy and the country first. That is the message from the Minister of Labour, Mrs Mildred Oliphant following the deadlock in the gold sector’s centralised wage negotiations process.
The unions National Union of Mineworkers, UASSA and Solidarity declared a dispute with the Chamber of Mines this week following a deadlock. Oliphant called on all parties to engage in the next step – the facilitation by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration – with a resolve to ensure that the dispute is resolved as soon as possible.
“I want to appeal to all employers and employee representatives who are involved in wage negotiations to do so in good faith. If there is a deadlock, give the facilitation a chance. There is absolutely no reason why the different parties cannot find the middle ground,” she said.
This year she hoped that strikes would be the last resort and that leaders of unions and employers would commit themselves to serving the bigger interests of the country.
“In as much as workers have a right to strike, employers also have rights for lockouts especially in cases of unprotected strike. Let the strike be the last resort. Remember, consequences of strikes put a strain on an already struggling economy and will bring untold misery to thousands of workers and their families,” she said.
