Letter to South African President Jacob Zuma: Justice for Striking Workers

August 24, 2012

Sent by letter mail and emailed to president@po.gov.za. A .PDF version of this letter can be downloaded from this link.

Dear President Zuma:

Subject: Call for a Full and Independent Investigation into Police Shootings of Striking Workers

I write on behalf of the over one million unionized workers in Canada’s largest province of Ontario to support the call issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) for a full and independent investigation into the violence at the Lonmin mine in Marikana and the police shootings of striking workers.

On August 16, 2012, a deplorable offensive was launched against thousands of workers on strike at the Marikana Platinum Mine. An army of police, backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles, responded to this labour dispute with tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades and, ultimately, began shooting and killing dozens of workers. Thirty-four workers were killed and hundreds more were wounded and arrested.

The OFL also condemns the killing of two police officers and the deaths of other innocents in Marikana, yet while these murders are appalling, they cannot be used to justify a bloody police slaughter of striking workers.

Your government’s order to institute a commission of inquiry is an important step, but it is also incumbent on your government to quickly and fully investigate the actions of the police and bring those responsible for the bloodshed to immediate justice.

In addition, we are calling on your government to investigate and take action against Lonmin – the London-based company that owns the mine. Lonmin is the world’s third biggest platinum producer and it accounts for 12 percent of the world’s output of platinum, yet its workers are some of the most brutally exploited in South Africa. The working conditions of the Lonmin mineworkers and the standard of living in their communities are outrageously bad.

Last year, Lonmin fired all 9,000 workers when a similar dispute over union representation stopped work at its nearby Karee mine. The company then forced all of the workers to reapply for their jobs in order to shut out those who were perceived to be union organizers. Lonmin’s reputation for contempt towards its workers was displayed again this week when the company threatened its Marikana workers with termination if they failed to report to work only days after their co-workers were slain. There can be little doubt that Lonmin’s hostile treatment of its workers has instigated and inflamed this dispute and that peaceful labour relations in South Africa are obstructed when the rights of workers are not protected.

No country can have a functioning democracy if the rights of workers are not respected as fundamental human rights. All workers must be granted the right to collectively bargain free of intimidation, harassment and violence. We are calling on your government to protect these fundamental freedoms under the law. We are also calling on your government to take a leadership role in bringing the Lonmin management together both unions, NUM and AMCU, in order to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this conflict and a fair settlement for the striking workers.

We extend our condolences to the families and friends of all those who lost their lives in last week’s violence and we join your country in mourning.

Sincerely,

The Honourable John Baird, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs