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Amcu filed a lawsuit to demand national mine safety standards, including disinfection procedures and the minimum level of protective equipment, before they return to work.
FILE: Miners fear being infected because social distancing is almost impossible within deep mining pits. Image: @ _AMCU / Twitter.
JOHANNESBURG – The South African mining union said on Sunday it had won an anti-government court case that will compel authorities to impose strict guidelines on mining companies to protect workers against COVID-19.
The union said in a statement on Facebook that it was “truly elated” with the court ruling on Friday.
“Now the lives and livelihoods of miners can be protected,” said the president of the Association of Miners and Mining Builders (Amcu) of South Africa, Joseph Mathunjwa.
South Africa, the world’s largest producer of platinum, manganese and chromium ore, which has recorded 6,336 cases of the coronavirus, of which 123 died on Sunday morning, is letting its mines run at half capacity during a national shutdown.
But Amcu filed a lawsuit to demand national mine safety standards, including disinfection procedures and the minimum level of protective equipment, before they return to work.
Miners fear being infected because social distancing is almost impossible within deep mining pits.
Deep-mine workers in Peru have also rejected returning to work without the proper protective equipment and adequate information about cases at the sites.
Such resistance could also spread to Chile, Burkina Faso, the United States, and other countries, where miners are making similar demands.
[URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT] In case you missed it, #AMCU gives the workers victory on May with the victory of the court! # MayDay2020 …Posted by AMCU on Friday May 1, 2020
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