Wage talks between mining company Kumba and employees have deadlocked, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Friday.
The union was awarded a certificate for a right to strike following an absence of consensus at a meeting facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, the NUM said in a statement.
”This outcome forces us to go back and consult with our members so as to get direction and a mandate of what to do next. But certainly, the first thing would be to call a stewards council in a week’s time,” said Eddie Majadibodu, NUM chief negotiator at Kumba.
The key issues that led to the deadlock are the union’s demand for the company:
- to pay 70%, compared to current 60% of workers’ salary, for maternity leave;
- to develop social plan guidelines;
- offer better sick leave, and
- offer wage increases of nine percent at higher grade and 10,5% at lower levels. The company was offering 6,5%.
According to Jackie Tshimanegape, NUM’s Coordinator at Kumba, the union had about 6 000 employees at the company’s operations in South Africa.
Members of trade unions Solidarity and the Black Allied Mining and Construction Workers’ Union made up for another 4 000 workers.
Kumba Resources mines iron ore, coal, base metals and heavy minerals. – Sapa