Impala Platinum workers strike over pay

File picture: Supplied

File picture: Supplied

Published Sep 27, 2016

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Johannesburg - Members of a union representing more than half the worker’s at Impala Platinum’s refinery in South Africa started a strike on Tuesday after talks over pay and benefits broke down.

About 500 people who are members of the National Union of Mineworkers didn’t report for duty after five rounds of talks with the world’s second-biggest platinum producer broke down, the organisation said in an emailed statement.

Impala Refining Services, about 35km east of Johannesburg, employs about 900 people, NUM Deputy Branch Secretary Mpho Mere said by phone. He wasn’t able to say whether operations had been affected by the stoppage. Impala spokesman Johan Theron didn’t immediately reply to a call and email seeking comment.

“We declared a dispute because we’re still far, far apart,” he said. In some wage categories at the refinery, the NUM is seeking a 9.5 percent increase, with the company offering 7.5 percent, Mere said. South Africa’s inflation rate was 5.9 percent in August.

Impala also is not close to meeting demands for higher housing, shift and standby allowances, and wants employees to use its in-house medical-insurance plan, which the union says undermines freedom of choice.

The refinery raised production from mine-to-market operations by 11 percent to 628 600 ounces in the year ended June 30 from 12 months earlier, while refined output from third-party purchases and tolls climbed 32 percent to 182 900 ounces, it said in a September 1 statement.

South Africa is the world’s biggest producer of platinum. Impala declined 4.1 percent to R65.24 by 11.43am in Johannesburg. The stock has more than doubled in 2016.

BLOOMBERG

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