Impala Platinum: Workers asked to vote by SMS

Impala Platinum (Implats) would ask its striking employees to vote by text message this week on its latest wage offer and whether they wanted to return to work, the company said yesterday. Spokesman Johan Theron said the vote would be conducted yesterday or today and would involve striking miners who had indicated their willingness to take part. The strike has also hurt producers Anglo American Platinum and Lonmin. Implats’s move is the latest attempt by the three producers to undermine the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union by taking a wage offer directly to miners after talks collapsed two weeks ago. Implats said two-thirds of its striking workers had indicated by text message and phone calls that they wanted to return, but it would now ask for a formal vote on the offer. Lonmin has said that if enough miners indicated by today that they wanted to come back, it would aim to restart mines next week. Implats fell 0.4 percent at R119.05. – Reuters