Impala Platinum: 2 000 NUM members strike at Marula

About 2 000 workers affiliated with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) went on strike at the Marula mine of Impala Platinum (Implats) on Friday demanding higher wages, company spokesman Johan Theron said. “We had a work stoppage. We are talking to the union and the workers and trying to resolve it.” An NUM spokesman in Limpopo, William Mabapa, said the union had not called any strike, but acknowledged some miners had not gone to work because of what he called “intimidation” by other workers. The labour dispute at Marula in Limpopo comes a week after rival union the Association of Mining and Construction Union (Amcu) agreed a wage settlement to end a five-month strike by its members at Implats, Lonmin and Anglo American Platinum, the world’s three largest producers. Theron said management had not received any formal demands or memorandum from the workers. “It seems like this is in relation to the Amcu settlement and they are unhappy with the wage deal that they got last year.” Implats shares rose 0.67 percent to close at R112.75 on Friday. – Reuters