There is no end in sight to the strike by about 75% of South Africa’s gold-miners, the Chamber of Mines said on the third day of the strike on Tuesday.
”It doesn’t seem as if we’re making progress. The parties seem to be very far apart,” the chamber’s chief negotiator, Frans Barker, said.
The National Union of Mineworkers’ (NUM) 80 000 members embarked on the first strike in South Africa’s gold-mining industry since 1987 on Sunday at 6pm.
Trade union Solidarity’s 10 000 members joined the strike at midnight on Monday. The United Association of South Africa’s 16 000 members will know by Friday whether to participate, after AngloGold raised its pay offer on Monday.
While the chamber, as the representative of the gold-mining companies, will not be holding talks with unions, talks between unions and individual companies are still continuing, Barker said.
”The union’s demand [for a wage increase] is nearly 10%. Even the improved offer doesn’t come close to that,” Barker said.
AngloGold Ashanti on Monday announced it is offering a 6,5% increase for its upper-level workers and 5,25% for miners, artisans and officials — independently of the chamber’s offer, company spokesperson Shelagh Blackman said.
In addition to the wage offer, the company also offers to raise, incrementally, the current living out/accommodation allowance to R1 000 by the end of 2006.
The NUM and Solidarity have both rejected the offer.
Barker said AngloGold Ashanti and Western Areas have been in a better position to make the increased offer to their workers.
”They get a substantial part of their earnings from outside South Africa and are not affected by the strength of the rand as much.”
Gold Fields and Harmony Gold, on the other hand, both have loss-making shafts.
He said the companies are doing ”their utmost” to end the strike.
Between 80 000 and 100 000 miners out of a total workforce of 130 000 are on strike.
”[The strike] is costing the gold industry in South Africa about R130-million a day, and that is also the export losses to the country,” he added.
”We are waiting for the Chamber of Mines to schedule talks again. The ball is in their court and I suggest they do that as soon as possible,” Solidarity spokesperson Reint Dykema said. — Sapa