Workers at the Simmer & Jack Buffelsfontein gold mine in the North West are on strike over a pay dispute, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday.
NUM regional coordinator Petrus Mahoko said workers are negotiating for a minimum salary of R2 700 a month for underground workers.
”We are protesting against the mine’s reluctance to negotiate in good faith,” he said in a statement. ”Although we moved down from R2 700 minimum to R2 400, the mine still refuses to budge on the revised position and is stuck with its R2 200 peanuts offer.”
Mahoko said workers will continue to be on strike until such time that ”the mine exercise common sense”.
He said as workers are facing booming commodity prices and high costs of living, employers should be reasonable in dealing with the demands.
Simmer & Jack mines chief operating officer Deon van der Mescht said the NUM has rejected a 10% overall increase on average for 2007 and another 10% increase in 2008 for category-three to -eight workers who fall under the NUM bargaining unit.
He said the mine received notice of the intended strike on Monday. ”We have spent the last 48 hours in talks with the union in an attempt to avert any strike action and we are disappointed that NUM has decided to go this route.”
This was the first round of negotiations since Simmers rescued the mine from final liquidation and closure in November 2005.
Van der Mescht said the mine has been in discussions with the union since February this year. ”Just before the commencement of a scheduled meeting aimed at continuing the negotiations, management received a notification from the CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] that the NUM had referred the matter to the CCMA for resolution.”
The CCMA successfully facilitated talks to the point where both parties agreed that the CCMA would draft an agreement for signature, he said. ”When presented with the final draft, NUM announced unexpectedly that it now required that the increase for year two [2008] in the agreement be implemented in year one [2007].”
Van der Mescht said that the company is doing everything possible to end the dispute and will continue to negotiate in good faith with the NUM representatives.
Underground production at Buffelsfontein has ceased, barring essential services, but the mine will continue treating surface sources, he said. — Sapa