Rustenburg – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday expressed anger that Sibanye Gold has offered an additional wage increase of R25 a month to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).
“This is being done outside the collective bargaining forum at the Chamber of Mines. As the NUM, we appeal to Sibanye Gold to make the R25 offer at the Chamber of Mines where collective bargaining processes always take place,” said general secretary David Sipunzi.
“The current offer by Sibanye Gold of R25 will be an amendment to the 2015 gold sector wage agreement signed by the NUM, Uasa, and Solidarity at the Chamber of Mines. This offer of R25 would mean that Sibanye Gold is reopening the gold sector wage negotiations which were concluded in 2015 for a period of three years.”
Sibanye signed a three-year wage agreement with the NUM, Solidarity, and Uasa in October last year, while Amcu refused to sign the agreement.
In terms of the 2015 agreement, category 4-8 employees and B-lower officials will receive an increase of R675 per month in year one, R700 per month in year two, and R725 per month in year three.
The offer made to Amcu means the increase will now be R700 in the first year, R725 in the second year, and R750 in the third year, should Amcu members opt to accept it. The union was expected to take the offer to its members this weekend.
Solidarity also expressed its unhappiness that the company made concessions to Amcu, but welcomed Amcu’s decision to call off its strike at Sibanye Gold.
Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis said there was every indication that the strike would be accompanied by severe violence and intimidation.
“We are extremely grateful that a bloody strike was averted. Moreover, a strike would have severely compromised the gold sector’s slow recovery after much economic and commodity insecurity, and the job security and physical safety of workers would have been jeopardised once again,” he said.
But the union was disappointment at Sibanye Gold. “Sibanye made concessions to Amcu because of the impending strike, despite the fact that since October last year until as recently as yesterday [Thursday] they had promised that they would not be prepared to make any concessions to Amcu.”
Amcu suspended its planned wage strike on Wednesday to allow for further talks. The union announced on Monday that it would launch an indefinite strike at Sibanye Gold to demand higher wages.
African News Agency
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