More than 500 people 'being held hostage' in South Africa gold mine

Bernie Ecclestoned@sh.itjust.works to World News@lemmy.world – 103 points –
More than 500 people 'being held hostage' in South Africa gold mine
news.sky.com
4

This is the best summary I could come up with:


At least 500 workers are being held down a South African gold mine by a rival union, according to the head of the site.

The incident began when miners from the opposing, unregistered union allegedly prevented hundreds of employees leaving after they had finished their night shift on Monday at the Modder East mine to the east of Johannesburg.

Some 15 miners were wounded in the ensuing scuffles, with at least one suffering a serious head injury, the mine's chief, Jon Hericourt, said.

Mr Hericourt blamed members of the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), saying it had demanded to be the sole syndicate representing the miners at Modder East.

AMCU contested Mr Hericourt's version of events, saying miners had conducted a sit-in protest in support of the syndicate.

The two have been competing for bargaining rights over various South African mines, and their feuding was partially responsible for the Marikana massacre of 2012, when 34 miners on strike were killed by police.


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