In a meeting at the University of the Western Cape (29 May), organised by the Western Cape Democratic Left Front, three striking migrant workers of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), employees of Amplats and Lonmin, spoke of their experiences during their 19 week strike. Academics and students at the university, as well as other interested parties made up the audience of about 50 to 60 people in attendance.
The workers strongly restated their demand for R12 500 as a basic wage demand. They reiterated that they are not prepared to stand down on this demand. As a side comment a remark was made that workers are talking of upping the ante and putting forward a demand for R20 500; this, to drive home the point that they are serious about their demands. They rightly consider this to be a living wage. Comments from members of the broader public, being given coverage in the capitalist media, includes one that suggests that due to the workers being uneducated, their central demand is in fact “unreasonable”. One contributor from the floor questioned this, asking how and by who the value of the labour of mineworkers are in fact determined. The fact that the bosses of the mines hardly walk around with PhD qualifications means that they should not be paid the millions, if not billions they claim for themselves.
The August 2012 events that led to the Marikana massacre were described by one worker ; it clearly revealed how the police actions on 16th August were calculated and premeditated. The workers raised the issues of the land and its wealth that belong to them; that they must be paid fairly for the backbreaking, dangerous work they are expected to do. The workers stated unequivocally that “enough is enough”; that their struggle is a struggle for the entire working class in the country. One student raised the point that his father is a worker at Amplats and that he has “nothing to show” for years of work that merely enriched the capitalist bosses and their allies. The audience expressed strong support for the workers for which the three comrades were very grateful.
Some contributions in the meeting raised the humanitarian aspect of the workers’ struggle. These contributions simultaneously advanced the idea that the political dimension of the struggle should be underplayed – in fact, that it should not be a focal point of the meeting. However, most contributions made, overtly or by implication raised this dimension: the demise of the tri-partite alliance and the government/ bosses alliance; the struggle for socialism; the need for a “blueprint” that will allow us to chart a way forward; the need for political education of the youth; the need for nationalisation of the mines; the need to propagate the issue beyond the university grounds and so forth. The meeting concluded with inspiring exchanges of solidarity between the mineworkers and the audience.
APDUSA salutes and support the striking platinum workers.