The management of South Africa’s major gold and coal mining groups and the National Union Mineworkers signed a wage agreement — which all the parties referred to as ”a milestone” — in Johannesburg on Friday.
Mineworkers had been about to embark on a strike last Sunday when the companies tabled a revised offer which complied with most of the union’s demands.
The employers, including AngloGold, Gold Fields and Harmony, along with coal miners Ingwe and Kuyasa, agreed to give the workers a 10% wage increase across the board.
A two-year wage, and other conditions of employment, agreement was signed at the Chamber of Mines offices by Gwede Mantashe and Dion Boqwana on behalf of NUM, the coal mining negotiator Elize Strydom, the gold mine negotiator Frans Barker, and other parties.
Mantashe said the mining bosses had offered the workers a fair package and ”promised the bosses that the union will work with them to implement what had been agreed on.
”The road was not smooth, we saw resistance up until few minutes before the strike.
”I must confess this was a healthy road for us because if the road was smooth we were not going to reach an agreement.”
Mantashe warned the mining bosses that plans for the 2005 wage negotiations had begun and there were few issues to raise. – Sapa