South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Monday its members at Anglo Platinum, the world’s top producer of the metal, had agreed to a one-year wage deal, averting a possible strike.
The workers rejected a proposal by the company for the wage settlement to cover a two-year period, which means the union and Anglo Platinum would have to negotiate a new deal next year, Oupa Komane, the union’s deputy general secretary told Reuters.
”Workers have accepted the company’s offer for the first year, but they don’t want a two-year deal,” said Komane, who is also the head negotiator for the union at Anglo Platinum.
Asked if this meant there would be no strike, Komane said: ”Yes, there will be no strike, no strike is planned.”
Anglo Platinum — a unit of global miner Anglo American Plc — had offered increases of between 9% and 10% for different category of workers for the first year, and between 7,5% and 8% in the second year.
The union represents about 30 000 workers at Anglo Platinum, which has about 60 000 workers. — Reuters