BL Premium reports that Sibanye-Stillwater has revised its wage offer to four mining unions, proposing annual increases of nearly R1,000 in an effort to avoid industrial action that could hold negative consequences for its SA gold operations.
Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis indicated on Sunday that management came close on Friday to meeting the unions’ demands for increases of R1,000 each year for three years, when it revised its offer of increases of R570 to R670 for the lowest-paid employees (category 4 to 8 employees) to R800 for each of the three years. According to the new proposal, the other job groupings of so-called ‘miners, artisans and officials’ would receive salary increases of 5% for each of the three years. The ball is now effectively back in the court of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Solidarity, Uasa and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) to decide whether or not to accept the proposal. Friday’s meeting came after the CCMA issued a certificate of non-resolution to the unions three weeks ago, allowing workers to embark on a protected strike in support of their demands for above-inflation wage increases. This seemed to have forced the company back to the negotiating table as it stressed previously it would do everything to avoid a strike as industrial action would have “significant consequences” for its gold operations. “The unions will now present the revised offer to our members during the week. Solidarity, which mainly represent miners, artisans and officials, will recommend to our members to give favourable consideration to the offer of 5%,” said Du Plessis. Sibanye-Stillwater spokesperson James Wellsted commented that there was “no specific outcome” of the meeting on Friday, adding, “We will continue to engage.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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