MONDAY, 11.00AM
WITH the gold mining industry facing crisis as the bullion price plunges, the National Union of Mineworkers and the Chamber of Mines, locked in annual wage negitiations, cannot reach agreement on the number of additional shifts required to raise production by 90 tons a year in a bid to ensure the industry’s survival.
The sticking point in Friday’s talks revolved around the number of extra Saturday shifts required to meet production targets, with the NUM offering 13, while the Chamber demaded 26.
Agreement on the shifts issue is critical to an accord in the minig industry’s first-ever productivity-linked wage agreement.