ANA reports that gold and platinum producer Sibanye-Stillwater has concluded a three-year gold wage agreement with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity and Uasa.
The agreement covers wages and basic conditions of employment for employees at Sibanye’s SA gold mines for the period 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2021. It provides for increases to the basic wage of so-called Category 4-8 surface and underground employees of R700 per month in the first and second years, and R825 per month in the third year. The employees known as ‘miners & artisans’ and ‘officials’ will receive increases of 5.5% in year one and 5.5%, or CPI, in years two and three of the agreement. Neal Froneman, CE of Sibanye, said they were pleased to have reached this agreement with the workers after protracted talks in the gold mining sector. He commented that the deal was fair, “but takes into consideration the longer term sustainability of the gold operations.” In addition to the wage increases, the deal covers increases to the living-out allowance, increases to the medical incapacity benefit and the establishment of a task team to look at the various medical aid schemes with a view to shifting employees to a new medical aid dispensation. Sibanye-Stillwater currently employs 32,231 bargaining unit employees at its SA gold operations.
- Read the full original of this report at Business Report
- Read Sibanye’s press statement at Moneyweb
- Read too, Sibanye-Stillwater brings peaceful, successful gold wage talks season to close, at Miningmx
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page