Amcu strike continues as talks resume

Miners look on as they gather at Wonderkop stadium outside the Lonmin mine in Rustenburg, north-west of Johannesburg, on January 30, 2014. South Africa's Amcu union rejected a nine-percent wage offer on Thursday from leading platinum producers, prolonging a week of industrial action that has combined with a severe emerging market sell-off to push the rand to five-year lows. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Miners look on as they gather at Wonderkop stadium outside the Lonmin mine in Rustenburg, north-west of Johannesburg, on January 30, 2014. South Africa's Amcu union rejected a nine-percent wage offer on Thursday from leading platinum producers, prolonging a week of industrial action that has combined with a severe emerging market sell-off to push the rand to five-year lows. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko

Published Jan 31, 2014

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Johannesburg -

Talks between Amcu and platinum miners to resolve a wage strike are expected to resume on Friday.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union rejected a new wage offer tabled by Lonmin, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum on Wednesday as it was not close to the workers' demand of a R12 500 monthly salary.

Amcu's national co-ordinator Evans Ramokga said workers earned R5 000, and the union suggested that the R7 500 gap be closed over three years, after which workers would ultimately earn the proposed R12 500.

Treasurer Jimmy Gama said the union would take a new mandate from workers and table a proposal to the platinum companies when they met on Friday.

The strike in the North West platinum belt was in its second week. The platinum companies said hundreds of millions of rands had already been lost as a result of the strike. - Sapa

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