The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has agreed to pay Good Hope Construction R1.25m for damage its members caused during protests in Cape Town in 2015 when more than 200 NUM members went on the rampage at building sites, demanding protective clothing and payment according to skills. Good Hope instituted a R15m damages claim against the union, notes a Sunday Times report.

The negotiated settlement was made an order of the Labour Court. Raziek Rajah, a director of Good Hope, said his was the first company to win such a substantial claim against a union in the Labour Court.

Criminal charges had been laid against the perpetrators but no one had been arrested. Good Hope’s lawyer, Sean Pienaar, welcomed the settlement. ‘It’s refreshing to see a union, especially one as influential as the NUM, being held accountable for their actions and those of their members,’ he said.

‘The law cannot and should not allow unions and their members to hold companies to ransom through violence and unlawful conduct. We can only hope that orders such as (this) will deter all unions from acting irresponsibly and ensure they encourage their members to picket peacefully in accordance with the law.’

Full Sunday Times report (subscription needed)