POPCRU
*POPCRU Media Statement, 21 November 2012*** *Role of SAPS Members in Marikana*The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union through its appointed legal representatives is participating in the Marikana Judicial Commission of Inquiry headed byJudge Ian Gordon Farlamas an interested and affectedparty. The terms of reference of this Commission as duly appointed by President Jacob Zuma is questioning police, miners, union leaders, government employees, and Lonmin employees about their conduct on the 16th of August 2012.
POPCRU is deeply concerned by the evidence that has been tendered so far before the Commission, which reveals the following roles played by SAPS:
* Before the 16th of August 2012 Lonmin employees were on a wage dispute strike and SAPS tried to intervene by bringing all the parties on a table. SAPS members were told by the employer that the company is not prepared to meet and accede to the demands of the striking miners because the employees' wage demands fell outside of the collective bargaining structures as agreed upon by the parties. * SAPS members further tried to neutralise the wild cat strike against a backdrop of antagonism between unions by organising and facilitating public addresses by union leaders.POPCRU notes that SAPS members went beyond their duty call and tried to bring together all the interested and affected parties in order to resolve their wage demand in an amicable manner without further loss of life. It is therefore worthy to note that more evidence is forthcoming to support the above contention. As correctly articulated by our legal representatives in these proceedings so far through cross examination of a SAPS training co-ordinator, POPCRU maintains that SAPS members are not trained to facilitate wage dispute negotiations in situation wherein the employer is not willing to listen to his striking employees even if the employees' wage demand falls outside of collective bargaining structures.
POPCRU believes thatin terms of Section 205 [3] of the Constitution [Act 108 of 1996]our members are trained to prevent, combat, investigate crime, maintain public order, protect, secure inhabitants of the Republic of South Africa and their property, uphold and enforce the law.
We believe and maintain that any wage dispute between the employer and his employees must be resolved through collective bargaining structures without any involvement of SAPS unless SAPS members are trained in the facilitation, negotiations, and mediation of labour disputes. We believe that if all the parties played a positive role, the incident of 16 August 2012 and the brutal killing of SAPS members and civilians would have been prevented at all costs.We hope that this Commission will also make recommendations on the conduct of the employer who deliberately ignored to reopen bargaining negotiations to avert the horrific incident that eventually took place.
Meanwhile, whilst participating in these proceedings, we commit to prioritizing POPCRU members. The union will also continue to advocate better working conditions for our members, mental preparation before deployment into various communities, promotion of co-operation between police officers and communities and peaceful resolution of all disputes.
*Issued by POPCRU****** ******** **_For more information, contact_**:****** **Theto Mahlakoana (Miss)****** **Media & Communications Officer****** **Cell: 076 851 8884 ** **Tel: 011 242 4615****** **E-mail: **[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>**** **www.popcru.org.za <http://www.popcru.org.za>* -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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