SUE THOMAS, Johannesburg | Thursday
SOUTH African coal miners declared a strike at three pits on Wednesday as gold miners geared up for talks on a proposed work stoppage and striking power workers mulled settlement proposals from utility Eskom.
Another strike loomed at the giant iron and steel group Iscor, where steel workers have signalled discontent with wage offers and will start voting this week on strike action.
About 18 000 workers at three coal mines said they would strike from Sunday after talks on Tuesday failed to resolve major issues.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said talks with coal mining firms Ingwe, Eyesizwe and Anglocoal were deadlocked on wages, medical benefits and meal intervals.
”The NUM therefore declares a strike against three major collieries. A 48-hour strike notice is being served to the companies. The strike will begin on Sunday 29 with the night shift,” the NUM said.
A dispute at the country’s key gold mines moved towards resolution after the NUM prepared to respond on Thursday to revised offers from Anglogold, Gold Fields, Harmony and Durban Roodepoort Deep.
”The strike on Thursday is not on anymore. We will wait for results from Friday’s talks,” said NUM representative Moferefere Lekorotsoane.
The NUM voted on Monday to go on strike on Thursday to press for higher wages as well as other benefits.
Although mining accounts for only seven percent of South Africa’s gross domestic product, it makes up 40% of its exports and is a vital employer in a country with a 25% unemployment rate.
Fears of a protracted mining strike and the electricity work stoppage, which has coincided with power disruptions, have helped batter the Johannesburg bourse to three-month lows.
Shares in Anglo American, Anglocoal’s parent company, had slipped 6,36% or 700 cents to R103 by 1404 GMT on Wednesday, partly on news of the pending coal strike.
Early on Tuesday, hundreds of striking electricity workers staged protest marches around the country to demand higher wages from Eskom.
At the same time the NUM — which also has large membership at Eskom — the Mineworkers Union (MWU) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) were mulling proposals handed to them by Eskom after talks late on Tuesday.
The unions and Eskom would return to talks late on Wednesday to discuss the new deal, the unions said.
”We hope that further negotiations this afternoon will give us some movement and positive results,” said NUM Vice-President Crosby Moni.
Up to 80% of some 23 500 workers went on strike on Tuesday over Eskom’s unilateral seven percent wage increase. The unions have demanded nine percent.
Wage talks between Iscor, the MWU and Numsa — who also represent workers at the steel company — crumbled late on Tuesday, giving unions the go-ahead to ballot for a strike.
”We will have meetings with our members today, tomorrow and over the weekend and will possibly make a decision next week,” said Dumisa Ntuli, a Numsa representative. – Reuters