Kumba Resources will meet with striking trade unions on Wednesday to discuss a final revised wage-settlement offer made by the resources company on Thursday and Friday last week.
The unions involved are National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and the Building, Allied, Mining and Construction Workers’ Union.
Discussions between the unions and Kumba management on improvements to wages and service conditions at certain of its subsidiaries continued on Tuesday.
The unions are currently engaged in strike action at several of the group’s subsidiaries. Following Solidarity’s tentative agreement to the settlement offer at the weekend, the union decided to join the other unions in strike action from Tuesday (yesterday).
Kumba said on Tuesday night that due to the nature of the strike, where there are differing levels of support from union members at the various business units, the impact on production at some business units had been limited, while at others there had been a significant impact.
“The Kumba business units are liaising with their customers in order to minimise the impact on customers’ businesses, and are taking steps wherever possible to maintain production and limit disruption to product supply,” the resources company said.
The final settlement offer includes an 8% wage increase for lower grades and a 7% across-the-board wage increase for other grades. The housing allowance will increase by 10% for all bargaining-unit employees.
“Kumba believes that this is a reasonable and responsible offer,” the group said in a statement.
Subsidiaries involved are Sishen Iron Ore Company (Sishen Mine, Thabazimbi Mine); Kumba Coal (Grootegeluk Mine, Tshikondeni Mine); and Glen Douglas Dolomite (Glen Douglas Quarry). — I-Net Bridge