The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called off its week-long strike over wages at Kumba Resources after a weekend of consultations, it said on Monday.
Workers would return to their posts on Monday, said NUM spokesperson Moferefere Lekorotsoana.
The NUM downed tools on Sunday and Solidarity on Monday in demand of a 9% wage increase for higher earners and 10,5% for lower earners.
Also involved in the strike were the Building Allied Mining Construction Workers’ Union (Bamcwu) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).
While Solidarity on Friday accepted the company’s 7,75% and 8,75% pay-hike offer, it was rejected by the NUM, Numsa and Bamcwu.
The NUM — the majority union in the company — said the offer was R44 shy of a settlement.
”The company made a revised offer of a 9% wage increase for lower earners and 7,75% for higher earners. It is understood that various allowances would then be used to push the percentage earnings to 8%,” Lekorotsoana said on Monday.
Members’ ability ”to compromise to settle the strike, even though they thought they still had an upper hand, is commendable in that it demonstrates maturity”, said NUM general secretary Frans Baleni.
The strike affected Kumba’s Grootgeluk, Thabazimbi, Tsikondeni, Sishen, Leeuwpan, and Glen Douglas mines.
Kumba mines dolomite, iron ore, coal, base metals and heavy minerals. — Sapa