/ 13 July 2005

NUM confident of wage settlement with AngloPlat

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday stated that after reaching an agreement on benefits and conditions of employment with platinum producer Angloplat, it is confident that a settlement on wages will be reached.

NUM deputy general secretary Archie Palane said that the union and Angloplat will on Friday continue negotiations in an effort to reach an agreement on wages and housing allowances.

“We have agreed to adjourn our negotiations until Friday morning so that we can conclude outstanding issues on wages and housing allowances,” Palane said.

He added that the union was pleased with the way negotiations progressed and that employers had demonstrated a willingness to reach an agreement on all the issues.

The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) is to issue a ruling on a dispute between AngloPlat and its unions over minimum wages on Wednesday.

Palane said NUM had reached an agreement with AngloPlat regarding its dispute on minimum wages.

“The dispute was on the benchmarking of minimum wages and we have since withdrawn our case from the CCMA, but I don’t know what the other unions’ position is on the matter,” Palane added.

The existing minimum wage for underground workers is R2 500 a month and R2 450 a month for surface workers.

The trade unions that are party to the dispute include the United Association of South Africa (UASA), Solidarity, Togetherness Amalgamated Workers Union of South Africa (Tawausa), Stimco, Mouthpiece workers unions and Balawu.

Earlier this month, the NUM had declared a dispute against Anglo Platinum Limited, majority owned by mining giant Anglo American, after talks deadlocked.

Under South African labour regulations, calling a dispute is the first stage in a process that includes mandatory mediation before a strike can be launched.

According to NUM, the company accounts for around 40% of global platinum supply.

The NUM cut its wage demand from 15% to 8% while Angloplat had increased its initial offer of 2,5% to the level of CPIX inflation, currently running at around 4%.

The company, which employs 46 700 workers, of which around 26 000 are represented by unions, agreed last year to wage increases of 7,75-9,5% following a two-week strike.

At 11.03am, Angloplat shares were down 2,61% at R299. – I-Net Bridge