BL Premium reports that members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have vowed to continue with a strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations.
With the strike entering its second week on Wednesday, lowest-paid employees have lost wages of R7,176 each to date, while those in a higher salary band have lost an average of R684 per day, totalling R8,892. On average, an entry-level employee receives guaranteed income of R16,036 per month, which includes basic pay, holiday leave allowance, living out allowance and provident fund. A company spokesperson advised that there were “no figures at this point” with regard to lost production output since the strike began on 9 March. NUM president Joseph Montisetse indicated: “Our strike is not based on what management is saying [regarding salary losses], it is based on the [revised] offer they have put on table. As long as management is not acceding to our demands, the strike continues. They must come up with an offer that we will consider as unions.” Sibanye has been implementing a lockout on striking workers since 10 March, and vowed to keep it in place until Amcu and NUM accepted the company’s revised wage offer, which has since been accepted by Solidarity and Uasa. Amcu and NUM, which have a combined membership of about 25,000, have not moved on their demands for an increase of R1,000 a month for the lowest-paid employees, and 6% for miners, artisans and officials. They are also demanding a R100 increase in the living-out allowance, which would take their wage demand to R1,100 each year for three years.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Sibanye-Stillwater to lose billions of rands in prolonged gold strike – but hit to employees is worse, at Miningmx
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page