Johannesburg - Production at Sibanye Gold, South Africa’s biggest bullion producer, is expected to grind to a halt tomorrow when thousands of members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) embark on a strike for higher pay.
Sibanye said it had been served with a 48-hour strike notice yesterday for the protected industrial action scheduled for the afternoon shift tomorrow. Amcu, which represents 44 percent of Sibanye’s 44 000 employees – including contractors – wants the company to hike salaries to R12 500 a month.
Read: Sibanye's platinum acquisitions approved
Sibanye reached a three-year wage agreement for a 12 percent increase in October with Uasa, the National Union of Mineworkers and trade union Solidarity.
Sibanye’s chief executive, Neal Froneman, said Amcu’s decision was unfortunate, particularly following the wage agreement with the three unions.
He said in the interest of a harmonious working environment and sustainable operations, it had been decided to implement the wage increases to all employees, including Amcu members, retrospectively from July.
Wage increases
“We wish to advise that the wage increases implemented in 2015 are final and the decision taken by the Amcu leadership will not yield a different outcome,” Froneman said.
“As management, we are required to consider and protect the interests of all stakeholders and we will ensure the viability and sustainability of our business is maintained. We have developed robust plans to manage the potential impact of strike action at our operations and will implement these plans accordingly,” Froneman added.
Tensions between Amcu and its counterparts in the trade union movement were evident when Solidarity’s general secretary, Gideon du Plessis, reflected on Amcu’s five-month strike at the platinum mines in 2014, which was characterised by widespread incidents of violence and intimidation.
“In addition to the physical danger these tactics posed to non-striking workers, it resulted in overall activities being scaled down in order to protect non-striking workers,” Du Plessis said. “Consequently, the non-striking workers had to forfeit numerous production bonuses and allowances.”
Du Plessis, insisted Amcu should follow the law during the strike.
“Normal trade union protocol will apply during this strike, which means the members of a non-striking trade union will only perform their normal tasks and not do the work of the workers participating in a protected strike.”
Appeal dismissed
The Labour Appeal Court last month dismissed Amcu’s appeal against the Labour Court’s 2014 decision in favour of the Chamber of Mines.
In June, 2014, the Labour Court confirmed an interim order preventing Amcu from embarking on protected strike action at certain operations owned by AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold and Sibanye.
This followed an application to the Labour Court by the Chamber of Mines in January 2014 that approached the strike action by Amcu on wages and other conditions of service, as unprotected on the basis that Amcu was bound by a collective agreement prohibiting a strike for the period July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2015.
BUSINESS REPORT