Amcu pleased with mandatory COVID-19 guidelines for mines

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has described as a victory for the working class, the publishing of mandatory COVID-19 guidelines for the sector, to help slow the spread of the virus in the workplace.

The Department of Mineral Resources says the regulations include requiring mine workers to be screened, tested, kept further apart and provided with protective gear.

[Read] The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is seeking public comment on a guideline for the compilation of a mandatory code of practice for the mitigation and management of COVID-19 in the mining sector https://t.co/2ef83DOMko #Covid19inSA @DMR_SA pic.twitter.com/2a4g1JSuSy

— @SAgovnews (@SAgovnews) May 12, 2020

Amcu President Joseph Mathunjwa says workers must also take responsibility for their safety.

“It is a victory for the working class. Workers have got a right to refuse to work under unsafe conditions. At least they now have a document to look at to guide them on whether the area is safe for work or not. But workers themselves have to take responsibility for their safety. Now they have a document … before, it was so easy for the employers to do whatever they think,” explains Mathunjwa.