PHILLIP NKOSI, Middelburg | Thursday 10.00am
ANGLO Coal upped its wage offer by 0,5% on Wednesday in an attempt to end a five-day strike by 9000 National Union of Mineworkers members in Mpumalanga.
NUM provincial chairman, Crosby Moni, said on Wednesday night that Anglo Coal increased its wage increase offer from 7,5% to 8% during a one-hour meeting with union negotiators earlier in the day.
NUM is demanding a 9% wage increase and has effectively halted production at eight of Anglo Coal’s nine Mpumalanga coal mines since embarking on a strike on Friday, 20 August. “It appears that Anglo Coal has decided to follow Ingwe Coal Corporation’s lead and at least try to meet our demands,” said Crosby.
Over 3500 NUM members returned to work at Ingwe Coal Corporation mines in the province on Wednesday after they extracted a similar agreement from management late on Monday evening.
The Ingwe settlement agreement, granting workers a 8% rise backdated to July, was signed on Tuesday. Ingwe also agreed to pay a further 1% increase in line with the consumer price index for two years. “The company has agreed in principle to the establishment of an agency shop,” Moni added.
This will mean that non-union members who benefit from NUM negotiations will have to pay the union 1% of their monthly salaries. Moni said the money will be used for education and training projects in local communities. Anglo Coal agreed to similar terms on Wednesday, including requirements that the proposed increase be to July.