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BL Premium reports that an end to the three-month long wage strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s gold operations is in sight.
At a mass meeting on Friday, members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) gave the union leaderships a mandate to accept a three-year wage proposal made to the parties by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Against a wage demand of a R1,000 increase for ‘Category 4-8’ employees in each year of a three-year wage agreement, Sibanye workers have settled on an increase of R1,000 for the first year, a R900 increase in the second year and a R750 increase in the third year. Workers will also receive an R3,000 once-off "hardship" payment, of which R1,200 will be a cash payment and R1,800 will be allocated to a reduction of debt or loans owing to the company for food and board on mine properties over the past 12 weeks. Against a demand of a 6% increase each year, so-called ‘miners and artisans and officials’ will receive a 5% increase in the first and third years, and a 5.5% increase in the second year (subject to certain specified CPI adjustments). “For the agreement to be binding and in order for the lockout to be lifted, the agreement must be formally concluded by Sibanye-Stillwater and the leadership of Amcu and NUM. This is expected to take place early next week,” Sibanye advised. The final agreement will be extended to all employees in the bargaining unit including members of UASA and Solidarity. Sibanye’s gold operations employ 31,000 workers of which 25,000 are jointly represented by AMCU and NUM. AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa commented: "We have to formalise it, but the mandate is that we can sign.” He added: “This is not a good offer. But under the circumstances [it was accepted]." He commended workers for "standing the test of time" in the face of a "shrewd employer" like Sibanye-Stillwater and its CEO Neal Froneman.
- Based on reports by Linda Ensor at BusinessLive (subscriber access only) and Lisa Steyn at Fin24
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