The biggest mineworkers’ strike in 16 years in the gold industry could go ahead as planned on Sunday night if National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members reject a revised wage offer, union spokesperson Gwede Mantashe said on Saturday.
Mantashe said the SA Chamber of Mines, which negotiates on behalf of Anglogold, Harmony and Goldfields, had put new offers on the table in a meeting on Saturday in a bid to avert the looming strike.
”I have sent the members’ representatives to the regions to report to our members.
”I am expecting them to report back to me by Sunday afternoon then we will know our way forward. At the moment things remain the same, we are not calling off the strike,” Mantashe said.
SA Chamber of Mines’ chief negotiator, Frans Barker, said all the mining houses offered a 10% wage increase across the board. They also offered to complete job grading exercises before the end of the year.
”We are optimistic they will not strike because NUM said it will recommend the new offer to its members,” he said.
Baker suggested if the strike went ahead as planned the loss of production would be R125-million a day; lost wages would be R50-million a day and the country would lose R125-million a day in exports.
If the members reject the new offer, there was a strong possibility that 100 000 workers would down tools on Sunday night.
Mantashe said the strike would begin with the night shift. – Sapa