The National Union of Mineworkers said it had called on its members to return to work at Lonmin on Tuesday morning‚ but it wanted a police presence to protect workers‚ and it did not want a night shift because of the dangers it presented.
The NUM‚ which claims to represent about 65% of Lonmin's 28‚000 workers‚ said it had asked for the company's ultimatum to return to work to be extended to the weekend. However‚ it supported the world's third largest platinum producer's demand for workers to report for duty on Tuesday morning‚ said Eric Gcilitshana‚ the union’s national secretary for health and safety.
Trade union Solidarity said its study of footage of the violence in which 34 people were shot dead by police near the Marikana mine‚ during a protest by 3‚000 rock drill operators last Thursday‚ had shown that there were a number of former employees of Lonmin and other platinum mining companies in the area as well as members of the community who did not work at Lonmin.
"This was not about rock drill operators. It was a smokescreen for what happened‚" said Gideon Niewoud‚ general secretary of Solidarity.
