What the protest by South African LCM workers against sexual harassment teaches us

An underground strike by 290 miners at the Lanxess Chrome Mine (LCM) against sexual harassment is a powerful moment in labour history. 

From June 19 to 27, 290 members of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) staged an underground sit-in-strike without food and clean water.  The protest was against the company’s management for it’s inaction against a mine captain who was accused of sexual assault. 

A victim filed a complaint against the mine captain who had demanded sexual favours in exchange for a full-time position at the company last year. The matter was first reported in August 2018 but it hasn’t been resolved by June this year. This and other attacks on workers called for collective action against Lanxess. The workers demanded an immediate suspension of the manager who was accused of sexual harassment and reinstatement of workers who were illegally dismissed. 

As per NUMSA, the company instead of investigating or taking disciplinary action against the alleged perpetrator had been pressurizing the complainant to withdraw the case. Reports also show that the human resources manager and his wife had favored the mine captain instead of taking stern action against the perpetrator. They also slut-shamed the victim and she had to undergo psychiatric treatment because of the “hostile workplace” environment. Besides this, the company has so far dismissed 32 workers for participating in a strike. 

The South African miners, despite facing the terrors and ill-treatment from the managers refused to call off the strike unless their grievances were resolved. They stood strong, sacrificed their health, their families’ comforts, and lived in the cold stone mine throughout the strike. 

The strike was finally called off on the evening of June 27 when the women emerged victorious for their rights from the underground. The workers had fought back against exploitation in solidarity, unwilling to give up without getting what was owed to them as workers by their employers.

This incident of protest by South African miners raises questions like what does it require to get management to take a sexual harassment complaint seriously? Why despite having laws around prevention of sexual harassment at workplace, women still had to go on a strike to demand action from management? 

The struggle of LCM mine workers is a most extraordinary show of strength, and a moment of exceptional unity, by workers in support of a comrade who experienced sexual harassment.

This triumphant incident is proof that determination and perseverance to secure rights and protection from sexual harassment at workplace for women might not come easy in today’s times but if a proper, well-organised course of action is taken, it is not impossible.