Johannesburg - Government-led talks to end platinum mining strikes that have crippled production from the world’s three largest suppliers resumed yesterday in Pretoria between the companies and the dominant trade union in the sector.
“The strike continues and we will meet for negotiations today [yesterday],” Jeff Mphahlele, the general secretary of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), said.
“It’s too early to tell” what the outcome of the discussions would be, he said.
Workers at Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin are yet to reach an accord with employers on wage demands, which include calls by Amcu to more than double entry-level pay to R12 500 a month. The dispute has weighed on the rand, which traded at its weakest level in more than five years last week.
South Africa, with the largest known reserves of platinum, relies on metal exports for more than half its foreign exchange earnings, and disruption at the mines has led to a burgeoning current account deficit. President Jacob Zuma has dispatched Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to facilitate talks between the companies and Amcu.
There were no strike-related incidents reported at the weekend or early yesterday, North West police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
National Union of Mineworkers regional secretary Sydwell Dokolwana said workers had been chased away from reporting to work at two Implats shafts.
Amplats and Implats had been granted a court order on Friday aimed at preventing intimidation by Amcu members of non-striking workers, the companies said yesterday.
The order required Amcu to ensure members kept to picketing rules and did not damage company property, they said.
Mine stoppages inflated the deficit on the current account to 6.8 percent of gross domestic product in the three months to September last year, according to Statistics SA. Africa’s largest economy relies on foreigners buying stocks and bonds to fund the gap. The economy will expand 2.8 percent this year, according to the median estimate of 24 economists. – Bloomberg